Marking a year of loss and disruption, President Joe Biden has signed into law the 1.9 trillion dollars relief package that he said will help the US defeat coronavirus and nurse the economy back to health.
The signing came hours before President Biden delivers his first prime-time address since taking office.
“This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country,” he said as he signed the bill in the Oval Office.
Tune in as President Biden signs the American Rescue Plan. https://t.co/ZfpKjSkA8w
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 11, 2021
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President Biden originally planned to sign the bill on Friday, but it arrived at the White House more quickly than anticipated.
“We want to move as fast as possible,” tweeted White House chief of staff Ron Klain. He added, “We will hold our celebration of the signing on Friday, as planned, with congressional leaders!”
Previewing his remarks, President Biden said he would “talk about what we’ve been through as a nation this past year, but more importantly, I’m going to talk about what comes next”.
President Biden’s challenge will be to honour the sacrifices made by Americans over the last year while encouraging them to remain vigilant despite “virus fatigue” and growing impatience to resume normal activities given the tantalising promise of vaccines.
Speaking on the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organisation’s declaration of a pandemic, he will mourn the dead, but also project optimism about the future.
“This is a chance for him to really beam into everybody’s living rooms and to be both the mourner in chief and to explain how he’s leading the country out of this,” said presidential historian and Rice University professor Douglas Brinkley.
“This is a big moment,” Brinkley added. “He’s got to win over hearts and minds for people to stay masked and get vaccinated, but also recognize that after the last year, the federal government hasn’t forgotten you.”
President Biden’s evening remarks in the East Room are central to a pivotal week for him as he addresses the defining challenge of his term: shepherding the nation through the twin public health and economic storms brought about by the virus.
