Biden seeking to boost COVID relief bill

President Joe Biden convened a White House round table Friday, aiming to strike a "conversation" with people who would benefit from his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, which has passed in the House and is currently under debate before the Senate.

"People in the country are hurting right now," Biden said, describing the bill as a "clearly, clearly necessary a lifeline for getting the upper hand against COVID-19 and getting under control."

Biden heard directly from three people from the Washington region.

Alma Williams, a single mother of four, who is a Washington Metro Access Transit Authority (WMATA) Metro Access driver said her co-workers are struggling to pay their bills.

54-year-old ex-Navy sailor George Kerr told the president he had lost his home due to a house fire and has faced housing instability. Kerr also urged Biden to sign the Equality Act.

Lyda Vanegas, the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Mary's Center, described how that operation provided health care, education, and social services, to over 60,000 people in the DC metro area.

The Senate voted 51-50 Thursday to begin debating the legislation, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the pivotal tie-breaking vote.

The overall bill, aimed at battling the killer virus and nursing the staggering economy back to health, will provide direct payments of up to $1,400 to most Americans. There’s also money for COVID-19 vaccines and testing, aid to state and local governments, help for schools and the airline industry, tax breaks for lower-earners and families with children, and subsidies for health insurance.

Senate approval, considered likely over the weekend, would give the House time to approve the legislation and send it to Biden for his signature.