He also gave an intimate description of life in the White House and expressed discomfort at being cared for by staff. After living in the White House for about a month, Biden joked that he woke up in the morning and looked at his wife Jill and asked, “Where the hell are we?”
Biden stressed that his massive virus aid bill already has widespread public support, noting that some analysts have called for substantial government spending to stimulate the economy.
“Now is the time we should be,” said Biden.
The House is expected to vote on the measure next week.
Biden landed about 90 minutes before the evening program on a smooth, snow-covered asphalt in sub-zero temperatures. He answered questions from a small audience of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents invited to a small, socially distant gathering at the historic Pabst Theater.
Biden’s trip to Wisconsin, a political battlefield state he narrowly won last November, comes as coronavirus infection rates and deaths are falling after the nation weathered the two deadliest months of the pandemic. The White House is also reporting a surge in vaccine delivery across the country after a slow start.
But Biden emphasized that the nation still has a long way to go, as thousands of Americans die every day in the worst public health crisis in the United States in a century. The virus has killed more than 485,000 people, and emerging variants make it difficult to respond.
Comments are closed.