With Two ‘Giant Goals’ Almost Met, Biden Hitting Road To Promote Them
The president will crisscross the nation on a “Help is here” tour to cheer passage of his covid-relief legislation and the nearly-there inoculation of 100 million Americans.
Axios:
Biden Pledges 100 Million Total Shots, 100 Million Relief Checks In Next 10 Days
President Biden said in a speech from the White House Monday that his administration will reach two "giant goals" in the next 10 days: 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses and 100 million relief checks distributed to the public. The speech kicks off the administration's "Help is Here" campaign, which will see Biden and Vice President Harris travel the country to sell the benefits of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package to the American public. (Saric, 3/15)
NBC News:
Biden: U.S. Will Reach 100M Shots Ahead Of Schedule As Millions Of Stimulus Checks Go Out
President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States will reach his goal of administering 100 million coronavirus vaccination shots ahead of schedule, hitting the milestone as 100 million stimulus checks go out to Americans under his Covid-19 relief package. "It's here, sooner than many ever thought possible," Biden said in remarks at the White House. "Over the next 10 days, we will reach two giant goals: One hundred million shots in people's arms and 100 million checks in people's pockets." (Shabad and Pettypiece, 3/15)
AP:
Biden To Join Road Show Promoting Relief Plan With Pa. Visit
President Joe Biden is joining top messengers already crisscrossing the country to highlight the benefits of his massive COVID-19 rescue plan, in his case by promoting aid for small businesses. Biden is set to visit a small business in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday, his initial trip outside Washington for the “Help is here” tour that got underway Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris dropped in on a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas while first lady Jill Biden toured a New Jersey elementary school. (Superville, Lemire and Miller, 3/16)
Politico:
Needing To Sell The Covid Bill, The White House Calls In Dr. Jill
A rubber-floored playground outside an elementary school in a small city in central New Jersey may not seem like the most traditional of political settings. But on a windy, cold afternoon on Monday, it was the spot where the Biden administration chose to begin its salesmanship of the most ambitious piece of legislation in at least a decade. There, outside Samuel Smith Elementary School, First Lady Jill Biden told a small crowd of school board members, elementary school teachers and members of the New Jersey congressional delegation that help was on the way. And if they had trouble hearing it over the wind, a sign in all caps was there, on the lectern, to remind them: “Help is Here Tour.” (Daniels, 3/15)
In related news about the economic stimulus —
CBS News:
JPMorgan Chase And Wells Fargo Face Customer Anger Over Stimulus Checks
The IRS is now starting to distribute the third round of stimulus checks, worth up to $1,400 per eligible adult and child. But the timing of getting a check may depend partly on a bank's policies, with some customers of JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo expressing frustration after the banks said the coronavirus relief payments won't be available until March 17. (Picchi, 3/15)
Georgia Health News:
Many Georgians To Get Insurance Price Break Thanks To COVID Bill
Before the pandemic struck, Himali Patel and her brother owned five small retail businesses. Now they’re down to one — a dry cleaning establishment. They have seen a disheartening drop in their income as COVID-19 ravaged the economy. Patel, an Atlantan who has multiple medical conditions, has been getting her health insurance through the Georgia exchange. (Miller, 3/15)
