Biden says COVID-19 package negotiated in Congress 'good start' but not enough
Dec 04, 2020
Washington DC [US] December 5 : The USD 908 billion COVID-19 relief package negotiated by US lawmakers is a "good start" but would not be sufficient, US President-elect Joe Biden said on Friday.
"It's just a down payment on what's to come. That would be a good start but it's not enough," Biden said in an interview with CNN, adding that the government needs to focus on the people's immediate needs such as mortgage support and unemployment.
President-elect Biden said he plans to begin more coronavirus relief measures when US Congress resumes in 2021 after its current "lame-duck session."
In the month of March, Congress had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to pass the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) stimulus, dispensing roughly USD 3 trillion as paycheck protection for workers, loans, and grants for businesses.
However, since then, Democrats and Republicans have disagreed on a successive relief plan. Last week, the deadlock was broken after a bipartisan bill worth USD 908 billion was proposed.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the US continues to be the worst affected country with over 14 million cases, followed by India and Brazil.
