Joe Biden Signs $1.9 Trillion Covid-19 Relief Package
President Joe Biden signed a massive, $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan in a small Oval Office event today, with Vice President Kamala Harris joining him to mark the administration’s first major legislative achievement.
The plan provides $1,400 direct payments, extends enhanced unemployment benefits and provides money for state and local governments, while also giving an infusion of funding to expand vaccination efforts.
“I believe this is, and most people I think do as well, this historic legislation is rebuilding the backbone of this country, and giving people in this country, working people, middle class folks, people who have built the country a fighting chance,” Biden said.
The White House originally said that Biden would sign the bill on Friday, but Press Secretary Jen Psaki wrote on Twitter that because Congress “enrolled the bill more quickly than anticipated,” the signing was moved up. She said that Biden and Harris would still hold a signing event on Friday.
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Biden will deliver his first primetime address at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT tonight, with major broadcast networks planning to carry. The speech is expected to focus on explaining the American Rescue Plan, as the bill is known, to the public, as well as the next steps in curbing the pandemic. Biden is expected to travel in the coming weeks on a “Help is Here” tour to tout the legislation, with trips planned for Pennsylvania and Georgia next week.
No GOP members of Congress voted for the Covid-19 bill, even though polls show the legislation enjoyed support from Democrats and independents and a large share of Republicans. The administration has highlighted the public support in defending the inability to win over Republicans in the Senate and the House.
A rundown of benefits that the relief plan will provide to the entertainment industry is here.
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