Biden news live: President readies $3 trillion ‘build back better’
Trump says he left ‘heartfelt’ two page note for Biden.mp4
Joe Biden is working up a sweeping $3 trillion (£2.18 trillion) package of investments on infrastructure and domestic needs dubbed the “build back better” plan.
The president is speaking with congressional Democrats about the scheme, which forms part of his plan for the US’ recovery from coronavirus.
Also today, Mr Biden will head to Ohio as part of a promotional blitz for Obamacare, which has been bolstered by his $1.9 trillion (£1.37 trillion) Covid-19 relief legislation.
He will speak in Columbus while his new health secretary, Xavier Becerra, travels to Carson City in Nevada and Doug Emhoff, the first gentleman, visits Omaha, Nebraska.
The Affordable Care Act’s premium subsidies have been increased under the Covid-19 relief plan, meaning consumers who buy insurance policies through HealthCare.gov will pay hundreds of dollars less out of their own pockets.
It comes as questions are raised over whether Jill Biden will have any role in helping reunify families separated at the US-Mexico border under Donald Trump. Previously, Dr Biden’s team said her top aide would monitor the federal effort to get children back to their parents, but Politico now reports that the first lady will have “no formal role”.
Breaking: AstraZeneca vaccine ‘very good’, says Fauci amid ‘unprecedented’ criticism of trial data
A top scientific adviser to the US government has offered assurances over the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, saying it is likely to be very effective, after new trial data on the jab was questioned by American health officials.
In a move that has been described as “unprecedented,” experts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) initially said that the results from the US-based trial of the vaccine may have been drawn from “outdated information” that “provided an incomplete view of the efficacy data”.
But Dr Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief Covid-19 medical adviser, has since insisted that it is “likely” that the jab is “very good”.
Jon Sharman23 March 2021 12:12
‘No formal role’ for first lady in family reunification, report says
Jill Biden will have “no formal role” in the effort to reunify families separated at the US-Mexico border under the Trump administration, according to a report.
However, Politico now reports that she will not play an official part in the federal effort to get children back to their parents.
The Independent has contacted the White House for more information.
Jon Sharman23 March 2021 11:48
Illinois town becomes first to approve reparations for Black residents
A Chicago suburb in Illinois has become first place in the US to approve reparations for Black residents to compensate them for historical racism in the form of slavery, segregation and housing discrimination.
The Evanston city council voted to approve the first phase of reparations to provide $400,000 to 16…
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