The plan will help “move America from crisis to a time when COVID-19 does not disrupt our daily lives,” the White House said, one day after President Joe Biden acknowledged the nation’s fight against the coronavirus had entered a new phase.
Zients also called on Congress to reauthorise tax credits to pay for sick and family leave when people contract COVID. “Questions are mounting about where exactly the additional money has gone,” said a letter to Biden signed by 36 Republican senators including Romney on Wednesday, citing the $1.9 trillion authorized in March 2021 on top of previously-approved COVID relief funds before the president took office.
“We never will just accept living with COVID-19, we’ll continue to combat the virus, as we do other diseases,” Biden told lawmakers.