“We can’t wait,” White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters before the call. Biden, who took office on Wednesday, campaigned on a promise to take aggressive action on the pandemic, which his predecessor, President Donald Trump, often downplayed. There was no plan in place for how to distribute the vaccine to millions of Americans when Biden took over, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said on Sunday. While Congress has already authorized $4 trillion to respond, the White House says an additional $1.9 trillion is needed to cover the costs of responding to the virus and provide enhanced jobless benefits and payments to households. Although Biden’s Democratic Party narrowly controls the House and Senate, the legislation will likely need bipartisan support to become law.

Source: bd News24 January 24, 2021 22:52 UTC