President Joe Biden is reminding lawmakers why it is necessary to pass his $1.9 trillion relief package.
During a meeting with House Democratic leadership in the Oval Office on Friday, Biden weighed in on January’s jobs report.
“We saw the jobs report. Only 6,000 private sector jobs will be created and at that rate, it’s going to take 10 years before we get to full employment. That’s not hyperbole, that’s a fact,” Biden said.
He added, “I appreciate you all coming over because, the urgency with which you’re moving, this is about people’s lives. This is not just about numbers.”
The president emphasized Americans are “really hurting.”
He continued, “We can really begin to do something consequential here.”
Watch his comments below:
“This is not just about numbers. This is about people's lives…We've got a chance to do something big here.”
— ABC News (@ABC) February 5, 2021
Pres. Biden meets with Democratic leaders at the White House on COVID-19 relief negotiations. https://t.co/VSBP09xXyS pic.twitter.com/IpBCHOuIpH
Biden noted former President Barack Obama put him in charge of the Recovery Act.
“It was hard as hell to get the votes for it to begin with and then it was hard as hell to get even the number we got, but one thing we learned is we can’t do too much here. We can do too little,” Biden explained.
He continued, “It’s not just the macroeconomic impact on the economy and our ability to compete internationally. It’s people’s lives. Real, live people are hurting and we can fix it.”
The Senate approved a budget plan on Friday to allow Democrats to pass the bill with or without Republicans, as IJR reported.
The 50-50 partisan deadlock was broken by Vice President Kamala Harris who voted “yes.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) noted on Wednesday Democrats overwhelmingly agree on the size of the package, as IJR reported.
“There’s agreement, universal agreement we must go big and bold…We hope our Republican colleagues will join us…We want to do it bipartisan, but we must be strong. We cannot dawdle, we cannot delay, we cannot dilute,” Schumer said after meeting with Biden.