Published 11:59 IST, December 28th 2020
US facing 'four historic crises at once', team working hard to tackle: Joe Biden
"From COVID-19 and the economy to climate change and racial justice, our nation is facing four historic crises at once," US president-elect Joe Biden said.
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US President-elect Joe Biden on December 27 said that the United States was facing four historic crises all at once, adding, that his country had gotten through the tough times before and will get through it again. Addressing a press conference, Biden said that it was finally a time for America to “awaken, to get moving, and for hope”. In an official tweet, the US president-elect also clarified that his team was already working hard to tackle the challenges on day one as there was “no time to waste.”
"From COVID-19 and the economy to climate change and racial justice, our nation is facing four historic crises at once. And come January, there will be no time to waste. That's why my team and I are hard at work preparing to take action on day one," Biden tweeted. The US president-elect had earlier condemned President Donald Trump over his refusal to sign a $900bn Covid relief package, saying, that he was abdicating responsibility.
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"It is the day after Christmas, and millions of families don't know if they'll be able to make ends meet because of President Donald Trump's refusal to sign an economic relief bill approved by Congress with an overwhelming and bipartisan majority," Biden berated the US president in a statement. Biden’s remarks came just hours after the unemployment benefits for millions of Americans had expired around the holiday season, and many were struggling to make ends meet.
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$900 billion pandemic relief package
Shortly after Biden's criticism, US President Trump announced that he signed the $900 billion pandemic relief package, which included $1.4 trillion to fund government agencies until September to keep funding coming in for the cash-starved transit system and food stamp benefits. Trump had earlier deferred the package citing objections over $600 checks instead of a hefty $2,000 which fellow Republicans had rejected. Trump announced in a statement that he signed the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed, adding that the bill will “restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for PPP, return our airline workers back to work, add substantially more money for vaccine distribution, and much more.”
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12:01 IST, December 28th 2020