U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has proposed a one-point-nine-trillion-dollar plan to Congress to end the "crisis of deep human suffering" by accelerating COVID-19 vaccinations and offering additional financial aid to those hit hardest by the pandemic.
In announcing the "American Rescue Plan" on Thursday, Biden stressed that there is no time to waste in effectively overcoming a double whammy of the pandemic and economic downturn.
The incoming Biden administration will seek to administer 100 million vaccines by his 100th day in office and push to reopen most schools by spring.
Around 400 billion dollars would go directly to combating the pandemic, while the rest would be spent on economic relief and support for state and local governments.
About 20 billion dollars, on top of some eight billion already approved by Congress, would be earmarked for increasing testing and setting up mass vaccination centers.
The plan aims to hand most Americans cash relief of one-thousand-400 dollars, on top of 600 dollars included in the most recent COVID-19 bill. A temporary increase in unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions would be extended through September.
The proposal is subject to a congressional vote.