Biden on Covid-19 plan: "This is a wartime undertaking"
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
President Joe Biden speaks about the Covid-19 response in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 21. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
President Biden called his plan to tackle the coronavirus pandemic “a wartime undertaking.”
“Our national plan launches a full-scale wartime effort to address the supply shortages by ramping up production and protective equipment, syringes, needles, you name it,” Biden said.
“And when I say wartime, people kind of look at me like ‘wartime?’ Well, as I said last night, 400,000 Americans have died. That's more than have died in all of World War II. 400,000. This is a wartime undertaking,” he said.
Biden is signing an executive action to use the Defense Production Act to direct all federal agencies and private industries to produce everything needed to protect Americans from the virus, he said.
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3:30 p.m. ET, January 21, 2021
When it comes to tackling the pandemic, "our plan is to restore public trust," Biden says
President Joe Biden speaks about the Covid-19 response in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 21. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
President Joe Biden sought to reassure Americans today that restoring "public trust" is a top priority in his administration's plan to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
"Above all, our plan is to restore public trust. We will make sure that scientists and public health experts will speak directly to you," Biden said this afternoon at the White House. "That's why you're going to be hearing a lot more from Dr. [Anthony] Fauci again, not from the President but from the real genuine experts and scientists."
Biden added: "We're going to make sure they work free from political interference and that they make decisions strictly based on science and health care alone, science and health alone, not what the political consequences are."
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3:05 p.m. ET, January 21, 2021
Biden to direct FEMA to establish a liaison with each state
From CNN's Betsy Klein
As part of his broader coronavirus pandemic strategy, President Biden said he will direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a liaison to each state who will report back to the federal government.
The creation of the liaison role “means every state will have a point person at the federal level to maximize cooperation between the federal government and the states, where it falls short, to be made known about it immediately,” Biden said at his coronavirus strategy rollout Thursday.
Biden said the liaison system will be based off a model the federal government has used to respond to hurricanes, including Hurricane Sandy, with which he was “deeply involved.”
3:45 p.m. ET, January 21, 2021
Biden speaks about his plan to tackle Covid-19: "Help is on the way"
From CNN's Betsy Klein and Veronica Stracqualursi
President Joe Biden speaks about the Covid-19 response in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 21. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
President Biden unveiled his national strategy on Covid-19 to tackle the coronavirus pandemic during remarks today at the White House.
Biden said his strategy was created in response to address the past administration's failure to act with "the urgency and focus and coordination we needed."
"Things are going to continue to get worse before they get better. The memorial we held two nights ago will not be our last one, unfortunately. The death toll will likely top 500,000 next month. And the cases will continue to mount. We didn't get into this mess overnight, and it's going to take months for us to turn things around. But let me be equally clear. We will get through this. We will defeat this pandemic. And to a nation waiting for action, let me be the clearest on this point: help is on the way," he said.
Biden's press secretary and Dr. Anthony Fauci will answer questions at a White House press briefing at 4 p.m. ET.
What we know about the executive orders: Biden will sign an order ramping up supplies for vaccination, testing and personal protective equipment and another boosting development of therapeutics to treat Covid-19.
Following through on his campaign proposals, Biden will sign two executive orders creating a National Pandemic Testing Board to improve US coronavirus testing capacity and a Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force to ensure an "equitable" pandemic response and recovery.
Another executive order will enhance the nation's collection, production, sharing and analysis of data about the virus.
He will issue an executive order calling on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to release clear guidance on Covid-19, decide whether to establish emergency temporary standards, and directs OSHA to enforce worker health and safety requirements.
Building on the order he signed Wednesday making masks mandatory on federal property, Biden will also take action to require facial coverings in airports and on certain modes of transportation, including many trains, planes, maritime vessels and intercity buses. Thursday's executive order will also require international travelers to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test prior to traveling to the US.
Here are some of the other Covid-19-related items on Biden's agenda:
He will direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency to offer full reimbursement to states for the cost of National Guard personnel and emergency supplies such as PPE for schools.
Biden will direct the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services to provide guidance for safe reopening and operating of schools, childcare providers, and institutions of higher education.
Biden also plans to issue a presidential directive to restore America's leadership, support the international pandemic response effort, promote resilience for future threats, and advance global health security and the Global Health Security Agenda.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will also receive a briefing from members of their Covid-19 team on the state of the pandemic and vaccinations.
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3:37 p.m. ET, January 21, 2021
Biden thanks law enforcement for presence at inauguration
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal
President Joe Biden speaks about the Covid-19 response in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 21. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
President Biden began his remarks on his Covid-19 response by thanking security and law enforcement officials for their “professionalism, duty and honor” at his inauguration yesterday.
“Before I begin today’s announcement, let me take a few moments to thank all the law enforcement folks for all they did, the military personnel, from all across the federal, state and local agencies that secured yesterday’s inaugural activities, and a special thanks to the members of the National Guard from around the country,” Biden said, speaking on the first full day of his administration.
He called the law enforcement presence an “unprecedented situation,” and that “hopefully it will never have to be renewed again.”
Security at the inauguration was stepped up to never before seen levels after the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6.
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3:35 p.m. ET, January 21, 2021
Sen. Graham suggests lawyer Butch Bowers will represent Trump at impeachment trial
From CNN's Kristin Wilson
Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks on January 7. Alex Wong/Getty Images
On a conference call with Senate Republicans, Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested South Carolina lawyer Butch Bowers will represent former President Trump at his impeachment trial, according to a person on a call.
CNN has reached out to Bowers for comment to see if that is the case.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are expected to discuss trial logistics sometime today, multiple sources also tell CNN.
Earlier in the day Graham was asked by reporters if any contrition by Trump would be helpful in an upcoming trial. Graham replied:
“I don't think he believes he played a role in the defiling of the Capitol. I think the argument that the election was stolen was overdone and got people ginned up, I think he's responsible for that. But people's decision to come here and take over the place, that lies with them. But his last couple of statements have been good, you know, rejecting violence. We'll see."
Graham did say that a quick trial seems most likely, suggesting that “I don’t think the country needs a whole lot.
“The public record is your television screen, I don't know. So, I don't see why this would take a long time," he said.
The senator pushed back on the idea of a third political party – an idea raised by Trump in his farewell remarks at Joint Base Andrews Wednesday morning, saying "we're gonna come back in some form."
"Well, I think a third-party movement would destroy conservatism,” Graham said. “I think if there was an effort to break away and form a new party, that would be a dream scenario for liberal Democrats, because if we do that, that's the end of effectively having conservative voices. I think Trump is going to be a major voice in the Republican Party, the best thing for him and us is to field a good team in 2022 and mount a comeback."
3:35 p.m. ET, January 21, 2021
Biden administration will address "chaotic" vaccine distribution in US, says former coronavirus adviser
From CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas
With support from the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Biden administration will begin to address “chaotic” Covid-19 vaccine distribution in the US, said Dr. Atul Gawande, who served on Biden’s transition coronavirus advisory board.
“FEMA will now provide the reimbursements and the financial resources for states to know that their supplies and needs for the vaccines and for testing are going to be addressed,” Gawande told CNN’s Kate Bolduan.
Retired General Lloyd Austin testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his conformation hearing to be the next Secretary of Defense in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, on January 19. Greg Nash/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
The Armed Services Committee voted to advance a waiver and to favorably report retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III.
Both actions were approved by a voice vote.
The next step will be to hold a vote on the Senate floor. The timing of the vote has not been announced.
Defense Department pauses border wall construction as it reviews Biden executive order
From CNN's Priscilla Alvarez
U.S. workers build the new 13-mile border wall construction project in the desert between Sunlad Park, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on January 15. Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images
The Department of Defense will pause construction of the US-Mexico border wall as it continues to review President Biden’s executive order calling for construction to grind to a halt, according to Raini W. Brunson, a spokesperson for the US Army Corps of Engineers.
“(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) will take the appropriate actions in accordance with the E.O. and will coordinate our actions with the Department of Defense and our partners at the Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” Brunson told CNN in a statement.
The US Army Corps of Engineers oversees border wall contracts.
“We are following the direction provided in the E.O. as to how to implement the pause,” Brunson added.
Activity may still continue at sites over the next few days to ensure they’re safe, an administration told CNN.
Biden took an immediate shot at one of his predecessor’s key legacies Wednesday evening when signing a proclamation called for border wall construction to grind to a halt. “It shall be the policy of my Administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall,” Biden’s proclamation reads.
Over the last four years, billions of dollars had been put aside for additional barriers on the US-Mexico border, prompting a slew of lawsuits and pushback from environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers.
Days from the end of his term, former President Trump paid the wall a visit, citing it as an accomplishment of his administration.
Of the roughly 455 miles constructed under Trump, the majority replaced old, dilapidated barriers with a new enhanced wall system, a marked difference from the fencing previously constructed in some regions.
Forty-nine miles have gone up where no barriers previously existed, according to the latest figures from Customs and Border Protection.
“(Wednesday’s) proclamation will likely result in what’s called a suspension of work on the border wall,” said Travis Sharp, research fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. “During the suspension of work, the contractor must keep track of any additional expenses caused by the delay, so that the government can potentially reimburse those expenses later.”
