当选总统乔·拜登宣布了他的疫苗接种和经济救助计划一揽子立法一项雄心勃勃的1.9万亿美元的提案集中于刺激经济新冠肺炎（新型冠状病毒肺炎）席卷全国近一年的流行病。
拜登在周四晚上宣布这项政策的讲话中说:“我的美国同胞们，我们在未来几周和几个月内做出的决定将决定我们是以惠及所有美国人的方式繁荣发展，还是停留在一个高层做得很好，而大多数其他人的经济增长只是一项观赏性运动，美国前景暗淡，而不是光明的地方。”
在当选总统发表讲话之前，拜登参议员与记者通了电话过渡官员预演将成为他的一部作品的细节第一次重大立法推动一上任就试图处理健康危机——如果通过，这将是美国历史上最大和最昂贵的经济刺激计划之一。
“我们的经济正处于非常危险的时刻。一名官员表示:“与疫情爆发时相比，我们仍减少了1000万个就业岗位，我们在12月份看到，自今年春天以来，经济首次失去了就业岗位。”他强调，需要立即采取经济行动。
官员们表示，拜登的计划将把1.9万亿美元的价格标签中的1万多亿美元用于直接刺激，而4000亿美元将用于COVID相关项目，包括全国疫苗接种计划，4400亿美元用于社区和企业救济。
该计划包括向有需要的家庭直接支付高达1400美元的款项，再加上最近的600美元刺激支付，将实现拜登的承诺，即通过2000美元的直接支付，以及到9月份每周400美元的失业保险福利和儿童税收抵免。
作为COVID相关项目4000亿美元资金的一部分，拜登的计划将拨款1700亿美元，在他执政的头100天内重新开放大多数K-8学校，包括500亿美元用于增加学校的测试程序。
拜登还计划投入200亿美元建立一个国家疫苗接种计划，并在全国建立社区疫苗接种中心，以解决目前接种数量滞后的问题。
顾问们强调，尽管目前出现延误，但他们仍然有信心兑现拜登的承诺，即在他任职的第一个100天内向美国人提供1亿针COVID疫苗。
“如果你愿意的话，我们与特朗普政府的合作是不均衡的。我认为很明显，我们从特朗普政府那里继承的东西比我们想象的要糟糕得多。一位官员说:“目前还没有疫苗接种的基础设施。
这位官员补充说:“这是整个政府的努力，我们将首先确保在头100天内完成1亿次注射。”
拜登的政策还包括呼吁更大的经济提案，这位当选总统此前在竞选期间支持过这些提案，包括将最低工资提高到15美元，这一政策可能会面临一些共和党人的抵制。
“人们告诉我这很难通过。佛罗里达刚刚通过了它，尽管该州存在分歧，但他们刚刚通过了它。这个国家的其他地方也准备搬迁。全国最低工资应该是每小时15美元，”拜登说。
顾问们表示，拜登希望国会能迅速采取行动，解决持续的公共卫生危机，共和党人将与他合作，通过雄心勃勃的立法。
国会民主党领导人赞扬拜登的紧急救援提议。
众议院议长南希·佩洛西和参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默在一份声明中说:“这表明，民主党人最终将在白宫找到一个理解需要采取迅速行动来满足挣扎中的社区需求的合作伙伴。”
“我们将着手将当选总统拜登的愿景转化为立法，在两院获得通过并签署成为法律，”声明继续说道。
但在历史性的第二次弹劾唐纳德·特朗普总统之后，拜登的团队将面临参议院弹劾审判延迟进展的额外挑战，他们在电话中没有解决这一挑战。
拜登表示，他希望参议院能有一个“分叉”的一天来处理审判和他的议程，并批准关键的内阁提名人，特别是国家安全职位的提名人。
这一转变没有在呼吁中包括立法的时间表，也没有概述近2万亿美元一揽子计划的任何支出抵消。
“我知道我刚才描述的东西来之不易。但如果做不到这一点，我们将付出高昂的代价。主要经济学家的共识是，我们不能不做我提议的事情。从美联储到国际货币基金组织，世界各地独立、受尊敬的机构都强调了这一紧迫性，甚至华尔街公司也强化了这一逻辑，”拜登为高昂的价格辩护说。
除了拜登将概述的“拯救”政策之外，他还计划推出第二项政策，通过专注于创造就业机会、应对气候变化和种族不平等来帮助国家复苏——这是他的竞选活动“重建得更好”政策寻求解决的问题。
拜登说，这项政策将于下月在他的第一次国会联席会议上推出。
拜登承认，疫情的恢复需要时间，但他在讲话中试图安抚全国，因为他准备下周宣誓就职。
“下周三，我们开始新的篇章。当选副总统和我将尽最大努力满足你们对国家的所有期望和我们对国家的期望。我很自信。我真的很自信。拜登总结道:“团结起来——团结起来，我们就能做到这一点，并且比我们陷入这场危机时过得更好。”
Biden announces vaccination plan, economic rescue package in evening address
President-elect Joe Biden announced his vaccination and economic rescue legislative package, an ambitious $1.9 trillion proposal focused on stimulus amid the continued COVID-19 pandemic that has gripped the country for nearly a year.
"My fellow Americans, the decisions we make in the next few weeks and months are going to determine whether we thrive in a way that benefits all Americans, or that we stay stuck in a place where those at the top do great while economic growth for most everyone else is just a spectator sport, and where American prospects dim, not brighten," Biden said in his remarks Thursday night announcing the policy.
In a call with reporters ahead of the president-elect's remarks, senior Biden transition officials previewed the details of what will be one of his first major legislative pushes upon taking office to try to get a handle on the health crisis -- an effort that would one of the largest and most expensive economic stimulus packages in U.S. history if passed.
"We're at a very precarious moment for our economy. We're still down 10 million jobs from where we were when this pandemic hit, and we saw in December that the economy lost jobs for the first time since the spring," one official said, underscoring the need for immediate economic action.
Biden's plan would dedicate more than $1 trillion of the $1.9 trillion price tag for direct stimulus, officials said, while $400 billion would go toward COVID-related projects, including the nationwide vaccination program, and $440 billion toward relief for communities and businesses.
The plan includes direct payments of up to $1,400 to families in need, that when combined with the recent $600 stimulus payment would deliver on Biden's pledge to pass $2,000 of direct payments, along with a $400 weekly unemployment insurance benefit through September and a child tax credit.
As part of the $400 billion in funding for COVID-related projects, Biden's plan would allocate $170 billion to reopening the majority of K-8 schools within the first 100 days of his administration, including $50 billion to increasing testing procedures at schools.
Biden also plans to devote $20 billion to create a national vaccination program and stand up community vaccination centers across the country to address lagging numbers of vaccinations currently being administered.
Advisers stressed they are still confident they will deliver on Biden's promise to have 100 million shots of the COVID vaccine in the arms of Americans in his first 100 days in office, despite current delays.
"We have had sort of uneven cooperation, if you will, from the Trump administration. And I think it's clear that what we're inheriting from the Trump administration is much worse than we could have imagined. There's no existing infrastructure for vaccinations," one official said.
"This is a whole-of-government effort and we'll start by making sure that we get 100 million shots done in the first 100 days," the official added.
Biden's policy also includes calls for larger economic proposals that the president-elect previously threw his support behind during his campaign, including increasing the minimum wage to $15, a policy likely to face pushback from some Republicans.
"People tell me that's going to be hard to pass. Florida just passed it, as divided as that state is, they just passed it. The rest of the country is ready to move as well. There should be a national minimum wage of $15 an hour," Biden said.
Advisers said Biden hopes Congress will move quickly on the proposal to address the continued public health crisis and that Republicans will work with him to pass ambitious legislation.
Congressional Democratic leaders commended Biden's emergency relief proposal.
"It shows that Democrats will finally have a partner at the White House that understands the need to take swift action to address the needs of struggling communities," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
"We will get right to work to turn President-elect Biden's vision into legislation that will pass both chambers and be signed into law," the statement continued.
But following the historic second impeachment of President Donald Trump, Biden's team will face the added challenge of a Senate Impeachment trial delaying progress -- a challenge they did not address on the call.
Biden has said he would like to see the Senate move forward with a "bifurcated" day to address both the trial and his agenda as well as approving key Cabinet nominees, particularly for national security posts.
The transition did not include a timeline for the legislation in the call or outline any spending offsets for the nearly $2 trillion package.
"I know what I just described does not come cheaply. But failure to do so will cost us dearly. The consensus among leading economists is we simply cannot afford not to do what I'm proposing. Independent, respected institutions from around the world, from the federal reserve to the international monetary fund have underscored the urgency, even Wall Street firms have reinforced the logic," said Biden, defending the hefty price tag.
In addition to the "rescue" policy Biden will outline, he also plans to introduce a second policy to help the country recover by focusing on job creation, combating climate change and racial inequality -- issues his campaign's 'Build Back Better' policy sought to address.
Biden said the policy would be introduced next month, during his first joint session of Congress.
Biden acknowledged that the pandemic will take time to recover from, but sought to reassure the country in his remarks, as he prepares to take the oath of office next week.
"Come Wednesday, we begin a new chapter. The vice president-elect and I will do our best to meet all the expectations you have for the country and the expectations we have for it. I'm confident. I am truly confident. Together -- together we can get this done and come out better off than when we went into this crisis," Biden concluded.
