Today, on his first full day as President of the United States, President Joe Biden released a new, coordinated national strategy to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, boost vaccine production, and reopen the economy. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) released the following statement:
“With a new Administration comes a new, coordinated national strategy to combat the coronavirus and deliver the relief we need now. From the earliest days of the pandemic, I’ve maintained that we must have a whole-of-government response to expand access to testing, treatment, and vaccines, reopen our schools and small businesses, and support our communities and frontline workers. That’s exactly what President Biden has put forward here today,” said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. “I look forward to partnering with our President to win the war against this virus and help heal our country.”
On Thursday, President Biden signed a series of Executive Orders to: expand emergency relief and invoke the Defense Production Act to manufacture supplies for vaccines, testing and personal protective equipment (PPE); mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through expanded testing, treatment and bolstering access to treatment and care options; mount a vaccination campaign to educate the American public on the safety of the vaccine in an equitable way; safely reopen schools and businesses while protecting students, teachers and workers from COVID-19; address inequities faced by communities of color and underserved communities in accessing testing, treatment, vaccinations and PPE; and restore the United States’ global leadership and coordination in the fight against the global pandemic.
Congress and the Biden Administration are working in tandem on new COVID-19 emergency rescue legislation, which includes dedicated funding for a national vaccine rollout and state and local governments, additional direct cash payments for working families, and more. This will build on the $900 billion relief bill passed in late December.
This week also marks the one-year anniversary of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States. Over 24.4 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus, and over 406,000 have died.