Amid 'dire' jobs report, Biden urges quick action on COVID bill

Reuters Videos
3 年前

"If we don't act now, the future will be very bleak. Americans need help and they need it now," said Biden, who takes office on Jan. 20.

A government report on Friday showed the labor market slowing in November as the COVID-19 pandemic eclipsed its levels of the spring. Some 179,124 new infections are reported each day, a record, and more than 276,000 Americans have died of the disease.

Biden, the Democratic former vice president, offered support for an emerging bipartisan package of around $908 billion in COVID-19 spending that has drawn tentative support from members of both parties in Congress.

He said he would also press for more relief.

"​Any package passed in the lame-duck session is not going to be enough overall. It's critical but it's just a start. Congress is going to need to act again in January," Biden told reporters in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.