Biden news: Congress passes $1.9 trillion Covid bill as president says US to share surplus vaccines

Lawmakers are gathering in the Capitol rotunda to celebrate the passing of the American Rescue Plan.

The Senate has confirmed Merrick Garland, once snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court, to be attorney general in a 70:30 vote. Mr Garland will usher in a new era at the Justice Department.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are holding the enrolment ceremony for the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress so that it can be sent down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House for the president’s signature on Friday.

Jonathan Lemire of the Associated Press has seen a document circulating among senior West Wing staff concerning how the administration will sell the benefits of the American Rescue Plan to the country. The plan begins with Joe Biden’s first prime-time address of his presidency on Thursday. After which:

Expect an uptick in travel by the president, first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff as well as Cabinet secretaries and other surrogates, according to the memo by deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon, The document circulated among West Wing senior staff members on Wednesday and was obtained by The Associated Press.

“He will be hitting the road, the vice president will be hitting the road, the first lady will be hitting the road,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki, adding that the administration would also make officials available for local news interviews and other virtual events from Washington.

A blitz of interviews and events with more than 400 mayors and governors, including Republicans, will begin in earnest next week; the local officials will discuss what the plan means for their communities. There also will be an effort to plainly spell out the benefits of the plan, and how it could impact each American.

O’Malley Dillon wrote that “the distillation of our message to the American people in the coming weeks” is that the country “can be confident in knowing that the help they need will be there for them: to make it through financial difficulties, to get vaccinated so they can see their loved ones again, and to safely send their kids back to school and get back to work themselves.”

President Joe Biden will momentarily speak at an event with the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck about vaccine production and rollout across the country.

We expect some remarks about the passing of the American Rescue Plan — particularly the portion that funds vaccine distribution.

It’s a big day for Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In the president’s remarks, he said of her: “The finest and most capable speaker in the history of our nation. Once again, she has led into law an historic piece of legislation that addresses a major crisis and lifts up millions of Americans.”

The White House is facing growing pressure from the airline and travel industries to throw its support behind vaccination passports, a proposal with the goal of eventually allowing Americans who have received their coronavirus shots to fly freely for work and leisure. 

Chris Riotta reports.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris watched the final House vote with a small group of staff in the Roosevelt Room.

The Senate voted on Wednesday to confirm Merrick Garland as Joe Biden’s pick for attorney general, almost five years to the day after president Obama unsuccessfully nominated the former appeals judge to be a Supreme Court justice.

Josh Marcus reports.

Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier thanked President Joe Biden “for the steady, practical and resolute leadership you and your administration have provided, putting people before politics.”

“I have not hesitated to use my power in the Defence Production Act,” said the president.

He later added that a lot can happen and a lot can change. We need to be prepared,” hence the need for the extra 100 million doses ordered today that we reported earlier.

These doses will not be ready until later this year but add to the stockpile needed in case of variants, the need for boosters, and questions about the efficacy in children.

“A vaccinated American is the only way to bear the pandemic,” says Mr Biden.

The president ended his remarks with a trailer for his first prime time address tomorrow night.

“I’m going to talk about what comes next,” says the president saying there is more to come to move beyond the pandemic and rebuild the economy.

“There is light at the end of this dark tunnel of the past year.”