We are entering a very dark winte, things are going to get much more difficult: Joe Biden
WILMINGTON, Del./WASHINGTON:
President-elect Joe Biden said on Monday that “more people could die” if outgoing President Donald Trump continues to block a U.S. power transition as the coronavirus pandemic worsens, and he urged Congress to pass a new relief legislation.
Biden said business and union leaders have shown willingness to work together to strengthen the pandemic-stricken US economy, but stressed that COVID-19 must first be brought under control.
The Democratic president-elect delivered a speech and answered questions from reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, after consulting with CEOs of major U.S. companies and union leaders on Monday. He welcomed the continued progress in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Biden will inherit an economy that suffered millions of job losses in a pandemic that killed more than 246,000 people in the United States. U.S. cases of COVID-19 are rising as Biden prepares to take office on January 20.
“We’re entering a very dark winter. Things are going to get a lot harder before they get easier,” Biden said of the pandemic.
Biden again called on the Trump administration to cooperate with its transition team to contain the surge in cases. “More people could die if we don’t coordinate,” he said.
He urged Congress to pass pandemic relief legislation. Discussions on such legislation were stalled for months before the November 3 elections.
Biden, however, insisted that Trump’s refusal to concede did not hinder his transition efforts. “I find it more embarrassing for the country than debilitating for my ability to start,” he said.
On other economic issues, Biden said he plans to pursue “a fairer tax structure” with companies paying their fair share and added that he wants to see an hourly minimum wage of $ 15 across the country. Biden said no government contracts would be given to companies that do not manufacture products in the United States.
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris previously held a noon video conference with several executives, including Mary Barra of General Motors Co, Satya Nadella of Microsoft Corp, Brian Cornell of Target Corp and Sonia Syngal of Gap Inc.
In statements, companies called Biden the “president-elect,” and GM said he was eager to “work with the new administration” – tacit rejection of Trump’s challenge to election results.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and leaders of the International Union of Service Employees, United Auto Workers and two other major unions also attended.
“READY FOR PRIME TIME”
Biden said Moderna Inc’s announcement that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine was 94.5% effective based on interim data from an advanced-stage trial provided new hope for beating the coronavirus. Coupled with last week’s positive results on a rival shot from Pfizer Inc, Moderna’s news added to optimism that widespread vaccination in the coming months could help tame the pandemic.
When asked if he would be personally willing to be vaccinated with one of the newly developed vaccines, Biden told reporters: “I wouldn’t hesitate to get the vaccine.”
“They appear to be ready for prime time, ready to go,” Biden said of the two vaccine candidates.
Biden urged Americans to limit the number of people at next week’s Thanksgiving holiday rallies, encouraging social distancing and masks.
TRUMP DIGS IN
Biden continued his economic planning even as Republican Trump again refused on Monday to accept his electoral loss. Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Monday he was ready to ensure a professional transition to Biden’s team.
“If the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner, and things obviously look like this now, we will have a very professional transition from the National Security Council, there is no doubt about that,” said O’Brien.
Biden beat Trump by the same margin of 306-232 in the state-by-state electoral college that prompted Trump to proclaim a “landslide” victory in 2016. Biden also won the national popular vote by at least 5.5 million votes. , or 3.6 percentage points, some ballots still being counted.
Trump has not made progress so far with legal actions in multiple states. On Monday, the Wisconsin Election Commission said a statewide vote recount would cost around $ 7.9 million, money the Trump campaign would have to pay up front if it asked for one.
Biden won Wisconsin by a margin of 0.7 percentage point, or about 20,000 votes, with 99% of the ballots counted, according to Edison Research.
Election officials from both parties said there was no evidence of major irregularities. Federal election security officials denounced the “unsubstantiated allegations” and expressed “the utmost confidence” in the integrity of the elections.
Trump suffered another setback when James Bopp, a conservative lawyer, on Monday voluntarily withdrew federal court lawsuits seeking to prevent the states of Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin from certifying their election results. The prosecutions made unsubstantiated allegations of illegal voting.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
