Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 12-25-20

Political
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris listens to President-elect Joe Biden in Wilmington, Del., on Nov. 10.
Biden Received COVID Vaccine As Trump Remained On Sidelines
Kamala Harris Faces Challenging Dynamics In White House Full Of Longtime Biden Allies
WASHINGTON — Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take office in January as a historic first, shattering a glass ceiling and becoming one of the most powerful women in the United States.
But as President-elect Joe Biden fills out his ad- ministration, divvying up re- sponsibilities, Harris is at risk of falling into a vice pres- idential trap as old as the of- fice: holding a job with no specific responsibilities and no clear duties beyond ap- pearing at ceremonial events.
One of her first challenges will be ensuring that she doesn't get relegated to the fringes of an administration filling up with longtime Biden allies and advisers, as has happened with past vice presidents, who have found themselves on the outside of major decisions and unable to secure achievements.
So far, those close to the transition say Harris has
operated as a full partner to Biden. She has interviewed Cabinet nominees and of- fered her input on choices. During meetings, Biden has sought her input, and she has been involved in helping set the incoming administra- tion's policy agenda, one transition official said.
Past administration offi- cials and those close to both Biden and Harris say those dynamics risk deteriorating once the pair enters the in- tense West Wing environ- ment, where a vice president and her staff have to contend with competing interests throughout the administra- tion.
Success is often found for a vice president through the office's staff, and allies warn that Harris is assembling a team that doesn't have strong relationships with Biden's top aides. Most of Harris' staff members are also new to her and hadn't worked with each other be- fore the transition.
WASHINGTON— Presi- dent-elect Joe Biden re- ceived his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on live television as part of a grow- ing effort to convince the American public the inocula- tions are safe.
Monday’s event came the same day that a second vac- cine, produced by Moderna, started arriving in states, joining Pfizer’s in the nation’s arsenal against the COVID- 19 pandemic, which has now
PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN
killed more than 317,000 people in the United States and upended life around the globe.
“I don’t want to get ahead of the line, but I want to make sure we demonstrate to the American people that it is safe to take,” Biden has said of his decision. Biden and his wife, Jill, also thanked health care workers at the fa- cility where they received the shots, his incoming press sec- retary said.
Congress Reaches Deal On $900 Billion COVID-19 Relief Package
WASHINGTON — After months of stalemate, Con- gress struck a deal on nearly $900 billion in COVID-19 re- lief, including a new round of direct payments and help for jobless Americans, families and businesses struggling in the pandemic.
"More help is on the way," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Sunday evening on the Senate floor. "Moments ago, in consultation with our committees, the four leaders of the Senate and the House finalized an agreement."
The agreement includes stimulus checks of up to $600 a person based on in- come, a federal unemploy-
Majority Leader Mitch Mc- Connell, R-Ky., walks to open up the Senate in Washington on Sunday.
ment insurance bonus of $300 a week, over $284 bil- lion more in loans for busi-
nesses struggling to pay rent and workers, money to dis- tribute vaccines and $82 bil- lion for colleges and schools. It also includes the Democ- rats' priority of $25 billion in rental assistance and an ex- tension of the moratorium on evictions.
The package excludes the Republican priority of liabil- ity protection from COVID- 19-related lawsuits for businesses, universities and health care centers. It also doesn't include hundreds of billions of dollars for states and localities for Medicare and for teachers and first re- sponders who have come under financial distress dur- ing the pandemic.
First Shipments Of Moderna Vaccine Roll Out, A New Weapon
In U. S. COVID-19 Response
Distribution for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine began on Sunday, just two days after the Food and Drug Administration authorized it for emergency use.
Moderna’s vaccine distribu- tion means the U.S. now has two vaccines in its arsenal to fight the pandemic that has in- fected more than 17.7 million Americans and claimed more than 317,000 lives.
McKesson, a healthcare sup- ply chain management com- pany, is shipping the vaccine around the country from its distribution centers in Olive
Branch, Mississippi, and out- side of Louisville, Kentucky. It began filling its first orders on Sunday, including the vaccine and ancillary supply kits needed to administer the shot. The company said their initial
deliveries, at the U. S. govern- ment's direction, should arrive by Monday.
“We are honored to be a partner with the U.S. govern- ment and other private-sector companies such as Moderna to support in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and the ancillary supply kits,” McKesson CEO Brian Tyler said in a statement.
The U. S. was the first coun- try to greenlight the use of Moderna’s vaccine, which does not need to be stored at ultra cold temperatures like the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
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