WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden plans to take a nationwide victory round after the expiration of his $ 1.9 billion Covid-19 emergency relief package as he sells his first legislative achievement to the American public.
The measure was unanimously opposed by Republicans in Congress.
Biden, who is expected to sign the bill Friday, travels Tuesday to Delaware County, a suburb of Philadelphia that was the key to his victory in Pennsylvania, and Vice President Kamala Harris travels to Las Vegas on Monday; Nevada is another major swing state. The stops are expected to be the first in a series of trips for Biden and Harris in the coming weeks.
The trip follows Biden’s first speech to the American people, scheduled for Thursday night.
A senior government official said Biden, who worked on the speech overnight Tuesday, would adopt a tone that is partly “gloomy” as he addresses the crisis facing Americans: the lives lost. has, the job lost and the broader impact over the past year.
But he will also try to show that ‘there is light’, the official said, giving an update on what his team has done to increase vaccinations, vaccinations and vaccine doses.
And although Biden will name the Covid-19 bill on relief, the official did not expect it to occupy a significant portion of the address. Instead, Biden wants to keep the focus on the sacrifices Americans have made and the way forward.
The administration says that others who worked on the speech include staff chief Ron Klain, senior adviser Mike Donilon and Vinay Reddy, the director of speech writing, as well as the Covid-19 team.
The package of funding for programs from schools to public transportation has widespread public approval, with 70 percent in a Pew survey saying they support the legislation, including 41 percent of Republicans. But Biden could not get dual support in Congress with a broken Republican Party uniting in opposition and accusing Democrats of out-of-control spending. Administration officials have said they plan to use Republican opposition to the bill as a key discussion point in next year’s midterm elections.
“He wants to ensure that people have access to this information, so he will take the road, the vice president will take the road, the first lady will take the road,” said Jen Psaki, White House press secretary. ‘We will allow people to communicate directly in communities, but we will also use a range of tools at our disposal, including switching to digital communication and communication, conducting local interviews and also using a number of members of our cabinet who has key roles in the implementation. “
The White House plans to put surrogates and senior administration officials on television and, along with a group of 400 mayors and governors, both Democrats and Republicans, to pass the bill, according to an White House internal memorandum.
Officials at the U.S. Mayoral Conference said they are working with the White House to connect mayors and members of the administration as they develop their itineraries. The group works with mayors to “understand the full scope of the bill and its implementation, as it includes additional funds for cities outside the state and the local aid component.”
The White House said it was limiting Biden’s domestic trip due to concerns about Covid-19. Harris’ visit to Las Vegas will be her first trip as vice president, and Biden has only stopped as president a few times, including a visit to Texas after the state’s severe winter storms and a visit to a Pfizer vaccine in Michigan. Harris will also be in Denver on Tuesday.
The passage of the bill was the top priority in the White House; officials say much of Biden’s agenda depends on obtaining the money asked for vaccine distribution and reopening the school and fulfilling its promise to get most Americans a total of $ 2,000 in direct payments. .
An administration official said Biden passed the bill on Wednesday with Harris and a small group of White House officials in the Roosevelt Chamber. Due to the limitations on Covid-19, it was a much smaller group than would otherwise have come together for such an important early victory. Klain told senior staff members about Zoom on Wednesday morning that they would all be watching together under normal circumstances.
The White House’s message strategy for Biden’s victory round will focus on giving the public tangible examples of how the law helps them and their communities, such as emphasizing the direct payments of $ 1,400 and the child tax credit, the internal memorandum of the White House said.
“In total, we are talking every day about one of the ten key aspects of the plan that will benefit ordinary Americans: from additional money for veterans’ health, to lower health care premiums, support for small businesses and money to reopen schools safely,” he said. the memo of Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O’Malley Dillon.
Biden already has a graphic noted on Twitter and Instagram that ‘checks are on the way’.
The White House’s organized effort is a shift from the Trump administration, whose officials talked about a similar selling point after the big tax cuts, but struggled to stay on track with a commander-in-chief running his own series daily. created controversies. .
The legislation would earn $ 1,400 direct payments to individuals earning less than $ 75,000, and $ 2,800 to married couples earning less than $ 150,000. Individuals earning up to $ 80,000 and joint filers up to $ 160,000 will receive money, but not the full amount. The direct cash includes up to $ 1,400 per dependent, including adults.
In addition to direct payments and tax credits for children, the account will provide $ 14 billion for vaccine distribution and $ 49 billion for Covid-19 testing, contact tracing and personal protective equipment. It also includes $ 125 billion for K-12 schools and nearly $ 40 billion for higher education. It also offers $ 39 billion in childcare grants, $ 25 billion in rental assistance and $ 30 billion in public transportation.
The implementation of the government will be an attempt at a practical effort throughout the administration ‘, the White House memorandum said.