One of the biggest achievements under the Biden-Harris administration so far was the passage of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill known as the American Rescue Plan. Vice President Kamala Harris started off the week of events the White House has planned to mark the anniversary of the law.
Harris started off the week of White House events to mark the anniversary of the COVID-19 relief bill that was signed into law last year. This follows Harris’s visit to Selma, Alabama, to mark the anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Monday’s event focused on the bill’s provisions for community colleges and historically Black colleges and universities. Tuesday’s event was on the child tax credit, and the earned income tax credit. Wednesday’s event is set to highlight mayors, along with hirings on the state and local levels.
Thursday will put focus on healthcare premiums, and on Friday, which is the anniversary itself, President Joe Biden will be visiting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and will be expected to talk about reopening schools.
The relief bill passed through Congress on party lines, with zero support from Republican lawmakers in both chambers.
In other related news, Harris, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pushed for a transition to clean energy in the midst of the climate crisis, rising gas prices, and inflation. This also comes as the administration announced a $3.7 billion for public transportation, which will also invest in electric vehicles such as buses.
“We are all in the midst of a turning point. We have the technologies to transition to a zero-emission fleet,” said Harris. “We can address the climate crisis and grow our economy at the same time.”
Buttigieg also explained how this transition would help the environment, especially at a time when the issue of climate change continues and with serious effects.
“Transit gets riders where they need to be efficiently and affordably with far less pollution to thrive. And it’s even good for drivers of cars because it means less congestion and traffic on our roads. And transit is even better when it’s clean transit with modern electric buses that don’t pollute at all,” said Buttigieg.