Biden, Harris to kick off US tour to tout $1.9T COVID relief bill
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will embark on a nationwide victory tour that begins next week in Las Vegas to sell the $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package pushed through Congress to the American people, officials said Friday.
Biden announced the “Help Is Here” tour in his televised address to the nation this week. On Friday, Biden said that he, the vice president, first lady, second gentleman and Cabinet members would fan out across the country “to speak directly to the American people about how this law is going to make a real difference in their lives and how help is here for them.”
The president told a Rose Garden ceremony that included House and Senate leaders that the work was not finished.
“It’s one thing to pass the American Rescue Plan. It’s going to be another thing to implement it,” Biden said.
In addition to ramping up vaccinations and directing states to make every adult eligible for inoculation by May 1, the package signed into law includes economic help in the form of business loans, extended unemployment assistance, child tax credits and funding for states and cities.
Direct checks of $1,400 for individuals and $5,600 for a family of four could already be in some Nevada direct deposit accounts when Harris begins the tour in Las Vegas on Monday.
Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, are also expected to visit California, New Mexico and Colorado, while Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden are scheduled to appear in Pennsylvania. The first lady also has planned a visit to New Hampshire.
The president and vice president will join up in Georgia on Friday. The tour is hitting states that helped hand Biden a presidential victory in 2020 to underscore the importance of that vote in the effort to defeat the coronavirus after a year of misery.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the president and vice president would continue “engaging with Americans about how they will benefit from the rescue plan.”
No GOP support
The relief package was passed without Republican support, and GOP leaders in Congress have attacked the plan as one that spends little to fight the virus and is a giveaway to special interests.
Biden’s initial tour stops will underscore the political victories that made the passage of the plan possible for Democrats.
Georgia elected two senators that flipped the Senate to Democratic control, key to the 50-49 vote to approve the $1.9 trillion package that squeaked through the Senate without a single GOP vote.
Proponents dismiss Republican concerns that the spending bill will create $4.1 trillion in additional debt.
Democrats are quick to cite comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell that it is better for the government to spend now to protect the economy.
On Monday, Biden will attend a White House event on the implementation of the rescue plan, Psaki said.
Silver State
The package will bring a windfall to Nevada, one of the states hit hardest by the pandemic because of its reliance on hospitality, tourism and travel industries.
Despite GOP objections, Biden and Democrats included $350 billion for states, tribes and local governments.
Nevada will receive more than $4.1 billion from that pot of funds to accelerate vaccinations, provide essential services and help with budget shortfalls due to shutdowns and tax revenue losses.
The plan also includes $130 billion for schools. Nevada will see more than $1 billion for schools throughout the state to open safely with teachers, personnel and bus drivers vaccinated.
It also makes $750 million in grants available to communities such as Las Vegas and others in Nevada that suffered economic downturns and layoffs because of a decline in travel and tourism.
Biden said it will require fastidious oversight to make sure there is no waste or fraud “and the law does what it is designed to do.”
“There’s a lot of work for all of us to do, but I know we’ll do it,” Biden said.
Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.
