“WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden is predicting a “bleak future” if Congress doesn’t take speedy action on a coronavirus aid bill amid a nationwide spike in the virus that’s hampering the country’s economic recovery. He also expressed concern that so far he’s seen “no detailed plan” from the Trump administration on how to distribute an approved coronavirus vaccine, but said he and his team are working on their own proposal to fill in the gaps. Biden delivered remarks Friday afternoon reacting to November’s national jobs report, which showed a sharp decrease in U.S. hiring even as the country is about 10 million jobs below pre-pandemic levels. The Democrat called the report “dire” and said it “shows the economy is stalling,” but he said quick action from Congress can halt some of the damage. “If we act now — I mean now — we can begin to regain momentum and start to build back a better future,” he said. “There’s no time to lose.” Surging cases of the virus have led states and municipalities to roll back their reopening plans. And more restrictions may be on the way as lower temperatures and holiday travel lead to records for confirmed cases and deaths. Biden has said that while he doesn’t support a nationwide lockdown, he plans to ask Americans to commit to 100 days of mask-wearing to help combat the virus as one of his first acts as president. But one of his major challenges in turning the tide of the coronavirus pandemic will be distributing a vaccine. While the Trump administration has undertaken some planning around vaccine distribution, Biden said Friday that their proposal lacks significant details. “There is no detailed plan — that we’ve seen, anyway — as to how you get a vaccine out of a container, into an injection syringe, into someone’s arm,” he said. The president-elect said that while his team agrees with some of the priorities the Trump administration has laid out in its vaccine distribution plan, more work needs to be done. One of the major questions, Biden added, is how to get the vaccine to minority communities, which are disproportionately affected by the virus. He is working on an “overall plan,” and he asked government infectious-disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci to be part of his COVID-19 team to help with that planning. Biden said the distribution alone was a “very expensive proposition.” That’s part of the reason the president-elect has issued calls for Congress to take action on a coronavirus relief bill now. While he’s thrown his support behind a bipartisan economic relief bill of about $900 billion, Biden has called it just a “down payment” and has said much more will be needed once he takes office next year. On Friday, he said he and his team have been consulting with labor leaders, CEOs, mayors and governors in crafting their own coronavirus aid bill, which will be his first legislative priority as president. “The fight against COVID won’t be won in January alone,” he said. Biden expressed optimism that he’ll be able to cut a deal with Republicans when he takes office, but he’s certain to face a heavy lift in navigating any bill through a closely divided Senate. Democrats and Republicans have been deadlocked on a coronavirus aid bill for months, with Republicans opposed to a previous, more expensive bill that passed the House. Biden said Friday that he plans to ask Congress for funding for expanded testing, vaccine distribution, jobless aid and help for those at risk of eviction. He said it will be important to work together with Congress to pass additional aid because “the country’s going to be in dire, dire, dire straits if they don’t.” He also cited his long-standing relationship with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as evidence for his optimism. “He knows me,” Biden said. “He knows I’m as straight as an arrow when I negotiate. He knows I keep commitments and never try to embarrass the opposition.” The coronavirus pandemic will affect more than just Biden’s legislative focus when he takes office. He said Friday that it’s also certain to affect his Jan. 20 inauguration and that public health concerns mean he’ll have to skip some of the traditional festivities that go along with the event. He said there likely won’t be “a gigantic inaugural parade” down Pennsylvania Avenue or “a million people on the Mall” to watch his swearing-in. He predicted it would look more like the Democratic National Convention, which was largely virtual and broadcast on television and online. “First and foremost in my objective is to keep America safe, but still allow people to celebrate,” Biden said. “To celebrate and see one another celebrating.”
Trump Administration Lowballs Unemployment Benefits In New COVID-19 Offer
144 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["The latest stimulus offer from the White House comes with one-time $600 payments for most Americans and a lump of coal for the unemployed. The new proposal offered by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin swapped the $3...
Biden Selects Marcia Fudge As Housing Secretary, Tom Vilsack For Agriculture
88 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden has selected Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary and former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role in his administration,...
Studies Suggest AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Safe And Effective
135 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["New results on a possible COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and about 70% effective, but questions remain about how well it may help protect those over 55 — a key concern for...
COVID-19 Deaths, Georgia Elections And Trump Pardons: Views From HuffPost Readers
132 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["HuffPost Illustration In a recent poll, one of HuffPost members’ top-requested features was a roundup of reader comments. Every week, HuffPost editors read your comments on our top stories and highlight those that c...
Trump Trade Adviser Violated Hatch Act With Biden Attacks, Watchdog Says
42 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["White House trade adviser Peter Navarro repeatedly violated a federal law that prohibits some members of the federal government from engaging in political activity, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel reported Monday...
Singer Jeremih Leaves Hospital After COVID-19 Battle, Says He’s ‘Forever Grateful’
364 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["Singer Jeremih has been released from the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after battling COVID-19 during his stay, his family said. The 33-year-old R&B artist, whose real name is Jeremy Felton, thanked th...
Tuesday Is ‘V-Day’ In Britain; First Citizens Will Get COVID-19 Vaccine
153 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["LONDON (AP) — It’s been dubbed “V-Day” in Britain ― recalling the D-Day landings in France that marked the start of the final push in World War II to defeat Nazi Germany. A week after the U.K. became the first Weste...
Selma Blair And Sarah Michelle Gellar Redo ‘Cruel Intentions’ Kiss For COVID-19 Era
73 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["More than 20 years after they co-starred in “Cruel Intentions,” Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar continue to find ways to reference their legendary screen kiss. The actors made a virtual appearance at Sunday’s...