The Biden Administration’s Covid Response
The Biden Administration has made the COVID-19 crisis its number one priority, and Joe Biden has signed into law his 1.9 trillion dollar coronavirus relief plan, which was approved by the Senate earlier this month. The bill provides stimulus checks of $1,400 for Americans making less than $75,000 per year and couples making less than $150,000 per year. It also provides funding for vaccine distribution, $350 billion in relief for state and local governments fighting COVID-19, funding for unemployment benefits, and additional funding for government agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Affordable Care Act, passed under the Obama administration, is also set to receive billions in federal funding through the new bill.
However, some obstacles to the Biden administration’s sweeping plan have arisen, including a delay in the rollout of 20 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines that were set to be delivered to the American public by the end of March. The vaccines are currently expected to be delivered by mid April, according to senior White House officials. Johnson & Johnson has been silent on the matter, with their chief spokesperson, Jake Sargent, maintaining that the company “expect[s] to deliver 20 million single-shot vaccines by the end of March.” A delay in the rollout could potentially result in the deaths of thousands of Americans who have been awaiting the vaccine, and states that were supposed to receive the vaccine could suffer a slower economic recovery and more strain on first responders and hospitals.
In spite of Johnson & Johnson’s delayed rollout, the Biden administration has taken several significant steps in its response to the current pandemic. America has rejoined the World Health Organization after pulling out during the Trump administration. Biden has increased nationwide COVID testing for underserved communities, including homeless shelters and some K-8 schools. The Department of Defense and FEMA have been called upon to help with vaccine distribution, and Joe Biden has created the Defense Production Act, which mobilizes the private sector to manufacture testing equipment and personal protective equipment. The pandemic response is the Biden Administration’s current number one priority, and millions of Americans are depending on the administration’s efforts to bring the Nation into a full economic and social recovery; the effective implementation and execution of these plans is the most important thing facing the American people in the coming months.
By: Miles Kresic
