WASHINGTON – One year after the coronavirus was nearly shut down, President Joe Biden on Thursday announced his plan to get the country “closer to normal” by July 4, using his first broadcast address to offer Americans new hope and appeal on their help to comply with his roster.
In the East House in the White House, Biden will turn in the vaccination, including the order that all states be eligible for doses by 1 May. Senior administration officials said Biden would also announce steps to expand the number of places. and categories of people who can shoot, with the goal of getting Americans together at least in small groups for the Independence Day holiday.
Biden marks one year since the onset of the pandemic that killed more than 530,000 Americans and disrupted the lives of countless more.
Officials said the conditions of anonymity were an example of Biden’s remarks and said Biden would announce that it was employing another 4,000 troops to support vaccinations and that more people, such as medical students, veterinarians and dentists, were in will be able to deliver shots. He also directs more doses to about 950 community health centers and up to 20,000 retail pharmacies to make it easier for people to be vaccinated.
Biden requires states and territories to consider all adults for vaccination by May 1, as the country expects to have enough supplies to fully vaccinate adults by the end of the month.
But while he is optimistic, officials said Biden will make it clear that the July 4 timetable requires cooperation from Americans to continue to wear face masks, maintain social distance and follow federal guidelines to spread the word. virus in the short term.
The speech comes hours after Biden signed a $ 1.9 billion relief package on Thursday that he says will help the U.S. defeat the virus and restore the economy. Some direct checks to Americans may start arriving this weekend.
“This historic piece of legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country,” Biden said when he signed the bill in the Oval Office.
Most notable to many Americans are provisions that provide direct payments of up to $ 1,400, some of which could start landing in bank accounts this weekend, and the extension of $ 300 weekly emergency unemployment benefits to early September. In addition, extensive tax credits for children, child care and family leave over the next year are included – some of which are credits that Democrats have indicated they want to make permanent – plus spending on tenants, nutrition programs and utility bills.
The House on Wednesday approved the final package by an almost party 220-211 vote, seven weeks after Biden entered the White House and four days after the Senate passed the bill. Republicans in both chambers unanimously opposed the legislation, characterizing it as inflated, crammed with liberal policies and without seeing the crises subside.
Biden originally planned to sign the bill on Friday, but it arrived at the White House faster than expected.
“We want to move as fast as possible,” tweeted Ron Klain, White House chief of staff.
Biden said in a preview of his remarks on Thursday night that he “will talk about what we have been through as a nation over the past year, but more importantly, I will talk about what comes next.”
Biden’s challenge is to honor the sacrifices of Americans, while encouraging them to remain vigilant despite ‘virus fatigue’ and increasing impatience to resume normal activities, given the promising promise of vaccinations. He will mourn over the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s statement on a pandemic over the dead, but also radiate optimism about the future.
“This is a chance for him to really shine in everyone’s living rooms and to be both the mourner and to explain how he is leading the country out of this,” said Rice University presidential historian and professor Douglas Brinkley. said.
“This is a great moment,” Brinkley added. “He must overcome hearts and minds for people to remain masked and vaccinated, but he must also realize that the federal government has not forgotten you after the last year.”
Biden’s remarks in the East Room are central to an important week for the president, as he addresses the defining challenge of his term: shepherding the nation through the twins of the public health and economic storms that the virus brings.
On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued initial guidelines on how vaccinated people can resume normal activities. Congress on Wednesday approved the $ 1.9 billion US bailout plan to mitigate the economic impact on tens of millions of people. And the country was fast on its way to administering its 100 millionth dose of vaccination this Thursday.
Almost exactly a year ago, President Donald Trump addressed the country to mark the WTO’s declaration of a global pandemic. He announced travel restrictions and called on Americans to practice good hygiene, but he expressed little concern about the impending disaster. It was later revealed that Trump admits that he deliberately “downplayed” the threat of the virus.
For Biden, who promised to vote with the American public after the alternative reality of Trump’s virus talks, it is essential to find the right balance “between optimism and sadness”, said Princeton history professor and presidential expert Julian Zelizer .
“In general, the country likes optimism, and at this particular moment they are desperate for optimism, but you can not risk a ‘Mission Accomplished’ moment,” he said, warning against any premature statement that the threat was over. is.
Fifty days after his presidency, Biden experienced a honeymoon that his predecessor had never enjoyed.
According to a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released last week, 70% of Americans support the Democratic president’s handling of the virus response, including 44% of Republicans.
The White House hopes that as Biden takes on the role of cheerleader for the virus relief package, the elements of the $ 1.9 billion bill that is popular with Republicans will further increase his support.
– The Associated Press