4 hours agoBeden seeks emergency assistance for pandemic
Periskopi(6 years ago)
(6 years ago)President-elect Joe Biden is calling on Congress to approve billions of dollars of emergency assistance to COVIDD-19th before the end of the year, according to a senior adviser, who warned Friday that “no longer has room for delays”. Mr. Biden's transition assistant Jen Psaki made comments before the [...] meeting.
President-elect Joe Biden is calling on Congress to approve billions of dollars of emergency assistance to COVIDD-19th before the end of the year, according to a senior adviser, who warned Friday that “no longer has room for delays”.
Deputy Transmission of Mr. Beden, Jen Psaki made the comments before Mr. Biden's meeting with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer. This is their first meeting since Mr. Biden was predicted to be the winner of the presidential election. The president-elect hosted them Friday afternoon at his improvised transition headquarters within a theatre in the central city of Wilmington of the state of Delauer.
Mr. Biden, sat down to talk to the Democrat heads of Congress as well as with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris about some tables. Everyone wore masks on their faces.
“In my Ovale Office, mouse casa, you casa (set yourself at home),” said Mr. Biden during the brief meeting that journalists were allowed to cover. “I hope we spend a lot of time together”, he added.
Mrs. Pelosi said earlier at a press conference that she and Senator Schumer would talk to Mr. Biden about the urgent need to overcome the virus”, as well as how to keep the government financed and help people financially to cope with the COVID during this period when Congress is in transition.
But the prospect of new help against COVID this year remains uncertain. Ms. Pelosi said Thursday's talks with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and the republican leadership did not bring any consensus for a new aid package.
This did not happen, but we hope it happens,” she said.
On Friday, Senator McConnell, Republican of the state of Kentucky, proposed that Congress shift $4455 billion from unexplored funds designed for business loans, towards a new aid package for COVID-19n. His offer came after a meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Mr. Biden's team is facing strong pressure to achieve the adoption of a new draft law on another financial relief for COVID-19n, as well as to come up with a clear plan on how millions of doses of a possible vaccine will be distributed.
Mrs. Psaki said that Beden, Pelosi and Schumer are working together about a draft law on helping the pandemic, before Congress stops work on the holiday season.
There's no room for delay. We must move forward as soon as possible,” she said.
The president-elect has also promised to work closely with the republics in Congress to put his ruling agenda into effect, but so far, he has focused on his main democratic allies.
The meeting comes two days after the Democrats of the House of Representatives named Mrs. Pelosi as chairman to lead them again next year when Mr. Biden is president. It has hinted that these will be its last two years in the post of House Leader.
President Donald Trump continues not to allow his administration to cooperate with Mr. Biden's transition team. In particular, the administration of President Trump is denying the elected president access to national security information and planning for the fight against pandemic, which leaders of both parties say are important for preparing Mr. Biden to rule immediately after his inauguration on January 20th.
Health Secretary Alex Azariah said on Friday in the “programme CBS This Morning” that Mr. Biden's charge that transition delays would cost American lives to “ably incorrect”>>
“Every aspect of what we do is completely transparent, there is no data or secret knowledge,” said Mr. Azariah.
