Biden Taps Ex-Obama Aide Gene Sperling to Oversee Covid Relief
Published Date: 3/15/2021
Source: Bloomberg Quicktake: Now
Declaring "help is here," President Joe Biden kicked off his administration's ambitious push to highlight the benefits of his $1.9 trillion plan to defeat the coronavirus and boost the economy. Speaking in the White House, the president touted the "shots in arms and money in pockets" that he claims the massive relief package will provide to Americans. Biden said the nation is "just days away" from 100 million shots in the arms of millions of Americans, as well as "one hundred million checks going into the pockets" of even more Americans. His comments come as his administration begins its "Help is Here" road show tour, with Vice President Kamala Harris heading to Las Vegas and First Lady Jill Biden touring a New Jersey elementary school. Biden is scheduled to visit a small business in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. The president also announced he has tapped Gene Sperling, a veteran of the Clinton and Obama administrations, will lead the oversight for distributing funds from President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package. Sperling will take a role similar to the one Biden had as vice president in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. He will work with the heads of the White House policy councils and federal agencies to get funds out quickly and optimize their effectiveness, just as Biden did with the Obama administration's stimulus package. Asked by a reporter if former President Donald Trump should have a role in helping to promote the COVID vaccine among skeptics, Biden said local community leaders can play an even greater role, and he called on those people to do so. "The thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks, is what the local doctor, what the local preachers, what the local people in the community say," Biden said. " "I urge all local docs and and ministers and priests to talk about why, why it's important to get, to get that vaccine and even after that, until everyone is, in fact, vaccinated to wear this mask," the president added as he left the room. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake