Tag: Biden

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Health

Biden to Elevate Science Adviser to His Cupboard

Biden to Elevate Science Adviser to His Cabinet

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. announced Friday that he would strengthen the role of science in his cabinet to “refresh and reinvigorate our national science and technology strategy.”

Mr. Biden will appoint Eric S. Lander, director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and appoint him as scientific advisor to the president. For the first time, the position is raised at cabinet level.

The appointments signal a drastic shift from the role of science in the Trump administration. President Trump left the science advisor position blank for 18 months while his administration routinely ignored guidance from government scientists on topics such as the coronavirus pandemic, chemical pollution and climate change.

Mr Biden has made other appointments to the White House that could add science to decision-making, such as the appointment of John Kerry, former Secretary of State and Democratic Senator, a special envoy for the President on Climate Change, and the creation of a new White House Office of Climate Policy under the direction of Gina McCarthy, who served as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama.

“Eric Lander is a true Renaissance scientist with a deep understanding of the many fields of science and their interrelationships,” said Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences. “At a time when the nation and the world are facing complex challenges that require the full power of the natural, life, environmental, social, biomedical, and engineering sciences, Eric is an inspired choice of a scientist of international standing for ensuring that science guides sound policy. “

In Friday’s announcement, Mr. Biden also announced that Alondra Nelson, professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey and president of the Social Science Research Council in Washington, DC, would serve as assistant director for the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Frances H. Arnold and Maria Zuber will serve as external co-chairs of the President’s Science and Technology Advisory Board, a council of prominent volunteer experts from outside the federal government. Dr. Arnold, a protein scientist at Caltech, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2018, just the fifth woman to do so. Dr. Zuber, vice president of research at MIT, was the first woman to lead a NASA spacecraft mission.

“Science will always be at the forefront of my administration – and these world-renowned scientists will make sure that everything we do is based on science, facts and the truth,” Biden said in his announcement. “Your trusted guidance will be vital as we come together to end this pandemic, bring back our economies, and make new breakthroughs to improve the quality of life for all Americans. Your insights will help America plan a better future, and I am grateful that you answered the call for service. “

In 2018, Mr. Trump appointed Kelvin Droegemeier, then vice president of research at the University of Oklahoma, as its director of the science and technology policy bureau. Although Dr. Droegemeier is highly regarded for his weather research, many scholars felt that he failed to convince Mr. Trump to stand behind a significant improvement in American science.

“I give him an A for effort and an F for performance,” a science policy expert told Science Magazine in October about Dr. Droegemeier.

During his two years in the White House, Dr. Droegemeier back in January and made headlines. He expelled two employees after they published brochures about climate deniers with a White House logo.

Mr Trump left the President’s Advisory Council on Science and Technology inactive for 33 months. When he restored it in 2019, only one of his appointees was an academic scientist, and private industry representatives filled out the council.

Dr. Lander, the candidate for the Scientific Advisor, is best known as one of the directors of the Human Genome Project. With his PhD in mathematics, he created elegant methods for sifting through genetic data, mapping genes and discovering their functions and roles in diseases.

Dr. Lander founded the Broad Institute, which became a premier research center for genome sequencing. Broad researchers have also done some of the pioneering work on CRISPR, the technology for manipulating DNA. Dr. Lander previously served as co-chair of Mr. Obama’s Scientific Advisory Board.

“Our country represents science and technology at the most important moment since World War II,” said Dr. Lander in a press release from the Broad Institute. “How we react will shape our future for the rest of this century. President-elect Biden understands the centrality of science and technology, and it is my great honor to have the chance to serve the nation. “

In a letter to Dr. Lander, which Mr Biden released on Friday, reminded the President-elect how President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had asked his science advisor Vannevar Bush a series of questions about how science could benefit the United States. Mr. Biden introduced Dr. Lander raised his own questions about improving public health, climate change, technology, and ensuring that the benefits of science are fully shared by all Americans.

“I look forward to receiving your recommendations – and to working with you, your team, and the broader scientific community to create solutions that will ease the burden on the American people, create new jobs and opportunities, and drive American leadership in the world restore stage, ”wrote Mr Biden.

Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be Dr. Lander, Dr. Nelson, Dr. Arnold and Dr. Zuber at a live event on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time in Wilmington, Del.

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Business

A Second Financial Disaster for Biden, however a Totally different First Response

A Second Economic Crisis for Biden, but a Different First Response

Mr Biden has stressed that such aid will increase consumer spending, but he and his team are committed to redistributing the money in a more humane way: avoiding as many Americans as possible, in order to avoid the scar damage from homelessness, hunger and the virus itself to avoid .

The Biden team and its allies are confident that if successful, the economy will be prepared for a rapid recovery. Other policymakers and forecasters, including Federal Reserve chairman Jerome H. Powell, have predicted a rapid recovery once the virus is under control.

“The recovery from the great recession has been delayed for years because we have not acted to the extent of the problem,” said Heidi Shierholz, a former chief economist at the labor ministry who now works at the Liberal Economic Policy Institute. “This is a great break from past mistakes.”

The Biden Plan is not the exact plan many economists, including liberals like Mr. Furman, would have chosen. The direct controls that proved to be a successful political message in the Georgia runoff elections and put the Democrats in control of the Senate will reach millions of Americans who have not lost income during the pandemic and are most likely to put the money in savings.

And its price tag, along with the inclusion of provisions that Conservatives have long struggled against, such as raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, means the package is unlikely to find much Republican support. Lawmakers are already warning that it is overspending and excessive on top of the $ 900 billion and $ 2.2 trillion packages passed in December and March.

Some conservative economists say the package is spending far more than is necessary to fill what is known as the “output gap,” which is essentially the value of the loss of performance in the economy due to the recession. They begin to warn that pouring too much fuel into the economy can lead to runaway inflation – the same argument that many made in 2009 that has been proven wrong.

“A package this size is not advisable,” said Michael R. Strain, an economist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “It would fill the output gap many times over.”

Categories
Health

Biden Picks Former F.D.A. Chief Kessler to Lead U.S. Vaccine Efforts

Biden Picks Former F.D.A. Chief Kessler to Lead U.S. Vaccine Efforts

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has appointed Dr. David Kessler selected to lead Operation Warp Speed, the program to accelerate the development of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments.

Dr. Kessler, a pediatrician and attorney who headed the Food and Drug Administration during the presidencies of George Bush and Bill Clinton, was a key advisor to Mr. Biden on Covid-19 policy and is co-chair of the Covid transition team . 19 Task Force.

He will be Dr. Replace Moncef Slaoui, a researcher and former CEO of a pharmaceutical company who is becoming an advisor to Operation Warp Speed. Dr. Kessler will share primary responsibility for the initiative with General Gustave F. Perna, who will continue to serve as chief operating officer, according to a Biden interim spokesperson. Dr. Kessler’s responsibilities include manufacturing, distributing, and ensuring the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and therapeutics.

“DR. Kessler became a trusted advisor to the Biden campaign and President-elect Biden at the beginning of the pandemic and has informed Biden probably 50 or 60 times since March,” said Anita Dunn, co-chair of the transition team. “When employees are asked: “What do the doctors say?” We know that David Kessler is one of the doctors that President-elect Biden has asked us to do. “

Dr. Kessler will join Operation Warp Speed ​​at a critical time. Although the program is widely credited with enabling the development of two highly potent coronavirus vaccines in record time, it has been much less successful in actually delivering the shots to the public – a complex task that involves numerous federal, state and local authorities Splits.

The Trump administration had promised to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of 2020, but by Thursday just over 11 million vaccinations had been given, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At some vaccination sites, long lines of elderly people have lined up for hours waiting for a vaccine. For others, a lack of willing recipients forces vendors to offer the shots to random passers-by before the cans expire.

In late fall, Dr. Kessler told Mr. Biden that Operation Warp Speed ​​was not prepared to get the shots into the arms of the people. The transition team announced last week that the president-elect intends to set up vaccination sites in high schools, convention centers and mobile units to reach populations at risk. Details of the plans are expected on Friday.

Dr. In addition to working to accelerate vaccine delivery across the country, Kessler will also focus more on developing therapies. According to transitional officials, he plans to launch an extensive antiviral development program to treat Covid-19. He also plans to build U.S. capabilities to manufacture vaccines against the coronavirus as well as against leading known pathogens.

Dr. Kessler is Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease doctor who became the leading government voice on the coronavirus pandemic. The two worked closely to accelerate the development and approval of drugs that changed the course of the AIDS epidemic of the 1990s.

Covid19 vaccinations>

Answers to your vaccine questions

If I live in the US, when can I get the vaccine?

While the exact order of vaccine recipients may vary from state to state, most doctors and residents of long-term care facilities will come first. If you want to understand how this decision is made, this article will help.

When can I get back to normal life after the vaccination?

Life will only get back to normal once society as a whole receives adequate protection against the coronavirus. Once countries have approved a vaccine, they can only vaccinate a few percent of their citizens in the first few months. The unvaccinated majority remain susceptible to infection. A growing number of coronavirus vaccines show robust protection against disease. However, it is also possible that people spread the virus without knowing they are infected because they have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Scientists don’t yet know whether the vaccines will also block the transmission of the coronavirus. Even vaccinated people have to wear masks for the time being, avoid the crowds indoors and so on. Once enough people are vaccinated, it becomes very difficult for the coronavirus to find people at risk to become infected. Depending on how quickly we as a society achieve this goal, life could approach a normal state in autumn 2021.

Do I still have to wear a mask after the vaccination?

Yeah, but not forever. The two vaccines that may be approved this month clearly protect people from contracting Covid-19. However, the clinical trials that produced these results were not designed to determine whether vaccinated people could still spread the coronavirus without developing symptoms. That remains a possibility. We know that people who are naturally infected with the coronavirus can spread it without experiencing a cough or other symptoms. Researchers will study this question intensively when the vaccines are introduced. In the meantime, self-vaccinated people need to think of themselves as potential spreaders.

Will it hurt What are the side effects?

The vaccine against Pfizer and BioNTech, like other typical vaccines, is delivered as a shot in the arm. The injection is no different from the ones you received before. Tens of thousands of people have already received the vaccines, and none of them have reported serious health problems. However, some of them have experienced short-lived symptoms, including pain and flu-like symptoms that usually last a day. It is possible that people will have to plan to take a day off or go to school after the second shot. While these experiences are not pleasant, they are a good sign: they are the result of your own immune system’s encounter with the vaccine and a strong response that ensures lasting immunity.

Will mRNA vaccines change my genes?

No. Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use a genetic molecule to boost the immune system. This molecule, known as mRNA, is eventually destroyed by the body. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that can fuse with a cell, allowing the molecule to slide inside. The cell uses the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus that can stimulate the immune system. At any given moment, each of our cells can contain hundreds of thousands of mRNA molecules that they produce to make their own proteins. As soon as these proteins are made, our cells use special enzymes to break down the mRNA. The mRNA molecules that our cells make can only survive a few minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to withstand the cell’s enzymes a little longer, so the cells can make extra viral proteins and trigger a stronger immune response. However, the mRNA can hold for a few days at most before it is destroyed.

When George Bush named him head of the FDA in 1990, AIDS was raging in the United States. During the tenure of Dr. Kessler issued the FDA new rules to speed up drug approval. The pharmaceutical industry developed a class of antiviral drugs called protease inhibitors to treat AIDS / HIV, some of which were approved within 40 days.

“Each of these drugs that I took with Tony,” said Dr. Kessler in an interview about Dr. Fauci. “We did it together. We approved more than a dozen antivirals and antibiotics. We expedited approval, but we got it right. “

As a commissioner, Dr. Kessler was also known for his fight against the tobacco industry, which until then was considered sacrosanct in American politics.

Under his direction, and with significant help from investigator Jack Mitchell, the FDA proved that the tobacco industry knew for 50 years that nicotine was an addictive substance and that cigarette manufacturers can control the levels of nicotine in their products.

This work formed the basis of the landmark 1998 Framework Settlement Agreement that forced the tobacco industry to pay states an estimated $ 206 billion in damages and to change the way they advertise and sell tobacco products. It also led to the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, which eventually gave the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products.

Dr. Kessler’s other major government focus was improving the American diet. As FDA commissioner, he developed modern nutrition labels that are easy to read and contain basic nutritional information that was previously often left out.

After retiring from the FDA, Dr. Kessler Dean of the Yale School of Medicine, followed by a position as Dean and Vice Chancellor of the San Francisco Medical School of the University of California. After he whistled at the university for financial irregularities, he was dismissed as dean, but after an independent auditor concluded he was right, the university apologized and he remained a professor.

In 2018, Dr. Kessler Chairman of the Board of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a monitoring group for nutrition and health, which often criticizes the health policy of the federal government.

For several years he was on the board of directors of Immucor, a provider of transfusion and transplant diagnostic products. In 2020, he joined the board of directors of Ellodi Pharmaceuticals, a spin-off from Adare Pharmaceuticals that specializes in gastroenterological drugs.

This week he stepped down from all three boards and is selling his shares in the companies. He said he didn’t own any vaccine or drug company stocks.

Categories
Politics

The Large Guarantees Biden Is Making

The Big Promises Biden Is Making

Biden urges Americans to envision a future beyond the virus and pushes for a $ 1.9 trillion plan to boost jobs and prosperity. It’s Friday and this is your policy tip. Sign up here to receive On Politics in your inbox every weekday.

Under tight security, workers placed the flag across from the White House for the inauguration next week.

Updated

Jan. 15, 2021, 7:17 p.m. ET

Jaime Harrison raised more cash than any other Senate candidate in history when he challenged Senator Lindsey Graham in South Carolina last fall.

Now, having lost this race by more than 10 percentage points, he will be responsible for telling his whole party how to spend their political money.

As my colleague Jonathan Martin and I reported yesterday that Harrison is Joe Biden’s election to chair the Democratic National Committee. When Democrats hold the White House, the committee generally shifts the leadership of the party to the president. Hence, Harrison is unlikely to face any competition for the job. The Biden team also announced a number of high-profile alternates as vice-chairs, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Representative Filemon Vela of Texas, and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta.

Harrison, a former state party chairman, has been supported by dozens of executives within the committee who wish the organization continued to invest in local political infrastructure. After building a national profile during his race, the former Senate candidate comes into action with a built-in base for fundraising and news media attention.

That doesn’t mean it will be easy. Harrison is tasked with helping navigate extremely uncertain political terrain and setting the party’s news ahead of what is likely to be a challenging midterm election. Fighting is already simmering within the party between those who want Biden to convey his message of unifying the country and a more liberal wing that wants the new administration to hold President Trump and his allies accountable for any misdeeds in office.

Also, Harrison will face a simmering battle over the party’s primary nomination plan. Some Democrats want Iowa and New Hampshire – states with predominantly white and senior electoral populations – to lose their lauded status at the start of the main calendar. Others want to eliminate the complicated nomination processes used in Iowa and Nevada.

That fight will likely take place near home for Harrison: his home state – South Carolina – chooses fourth place.

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Categories
Business

Biden Outlines $1.9 Trillion Spending Package deal to Fight Virus and Downturn

Biden Set to Propose $1.9 Trillion Spending Package to Combat Virus and Downturn

WASHINGTON – Der gewählte Präsident Joseph R. Biden Jr. schlug am Donnerstag ein Rettungspaket in Höhe von 1,9 Billionen US-Dollar vor, um den wirtschaftlichen Abschwung und die Covid-19-Krise zu bekämpfen Reaktion der Regierung auf eine Pandemie, als sich Herr Biden auf sein Amt vorbereitet.

Das Paket umfasst mehr als 400 Milliarden US-Dollar zur direkten Bekämpfung der Pandemie, einschließlich Geldern zur Beschleunigung des Impfstoffeinsatzes und zur sicheren Wiedereröffnung der meisten Schulen innerhalb von 100 Tagen. Weitere 350 Milliarden US-Dollar würden den staatlichen und lokalen Regierungen helfen, Haushaltsengpässe zu überbrücken, und der Plan würde auch 1.400 US-Dollar Direktzahlungen an Einzelpersonen, großzügigere Arbeitslosenunterstützung, staatlich vorgeschriebenen bezahlten Urlaub für Arbeitnehmer und große Subventionen für Kinderbetreuungskosten umfassen.

“Während dieser Pandemie haben Millionen von Amerikanern ohne eigenes Verschulden die Würde und den Respekt verloren, die mit einem Job und einem Gehaltsscheck verbunden sind”, sagte Biden in einer Rede vor der Nation. “Es gibt echte Schmerzen, die die Realwirtschaft überwältigen.”

Er erkannte den hohen Preis an, sagte aber, die Nation könne es sich nicht leisten, weniger zu tun. “Die Gesundheit unserer Nation steht auf dem Spiel”, sagte Biden und fügte hinzu, dass sie “nicht billig ist, aber wenn wir dies nicht tun, kostet uns das viel Geld.”

Herr Biden ergriff in einer Zeit der nationalen Krise und einen Tag nach der Amtsenthebung von Präsident Trump im Repräsentantenhaus rasch Maßnahmen, um die Tagesordnung zu gestalten. Während es den politischen Wandel in Washington widerspiegelt, während die Demokraten die Kontrolle über den Kongress übernehmen, wird die Unterstützung für das Programm von Herrn Biden sofort vor Herausforderungen stehen, beginnend mit der Möglichkeit, dass ein Senatsprozess gegen Herrn Trump seine Verabschiedung verzögern könnte.

Es ist auch unklar, wie leicht Herr Biden genügend Stimmen für einen Plan mit solchen Ambitionen und Kosten erhalten kann, insbesondere im Senat. Demokratische Siege bei zwei Sonderwahlen in Georgia in der vergangenen Woche gaben Herrn Bidens Parteikontrolle über den Senat – allerdings nur mit einem Vorsprung von 50:50 nach der entscheidenden Abstimmung der gewählten Vizepräsidentin Kamala Harris. Herr Biden muss in einer Zeit knapper Überparteilichkeit alle defekten gemäßigten Demokraten mit republikanischen Stimmen entschädigen.

Herr Biden sagte, dass der Gesetzgeber zum Wohl des Landes zusammenkommen müsse und dass „Einheit kein Traum im Himmel ist – es ist ein praktischer Schritt, um die Dinge zu erreichen, die wir als Land erledigen müssen zusammen.”

Seine Rede am Donnerstag fand in einem unglaublich herausfordernden Moment statt, als die Zahl der Viren weiter zunahm, Millionen von Arbeitern aus dem Verkehr gezogen wurden und die amerikanischen Partisanendivisionen drohten, sie auseinander zu reißen. Eine Woche, nachdem ein Mob das Kapitol gestürmt hatte, um die Zertifizierung von Mr. Bidens Sieg durch den Kongress zu stören, ähnelt Washington einem bewaffneten Lager, in dem Stahlbarrikaden in der ganzen Stadt errichtet und bewaffnete Strafverfolgungsbehörden die Straßen überwachen.

Es wird erwartet, dass mehr als 20.000 Nationalgardisten Washington überfluten, bevor Mr. Biden am 20. Januar vereidigt wird.

Die wirtschaftliche Erholung von der Pandemie-Rezession hat sich angesichts des winterlichen Anstiegs des Virus und neuer Wellen von Beschränkungen der Wirtschaftstätigkeit in Städten und Bundesstaaten ebenfalls umgekehrt.

Das Arbeitsministerium berichtete am Donnerstag, dass 1,15 Millionen Amerikaner in der ersten vollen Woche des neuen Jahres neue Arbeitslosenanträge gestellt haben, ein Anstieg von 25 Prozent gegenüber der Vorwoche. Weitere 284.000 Anträge wurden für Pandemic Unemployment Assistance eingereicht, ein Notfallprogramm des Bundes für Arbeitnehmer wie Freiberufler, die normalerweise keinen Anspruch auf Arbeitslosenunterstützung haben. Die Nation hat im Dezember 140.000 Arbeitsplätze abgebaut, berichtete die Abteilung letzte Woche.

Die Adjutanten von Herrn Biden sagen, die Dringlichkeit des Augenblicks habe den gewählten Präsidenten dazu veranlasst, einen wesentlich größeren wirtschaftlichen Aufschwung vorzuschlagen, als es die Obama-Regierung bei ihrem Amtsantritt in einer Rezession im Jahr 2009 durchgesetzt hatte. Der Biden-Vorschlag ist mehr als 50 Prozent größer als der Obama – Verbessern Sie die Impulse nach Anpassung an die Inflation und kommen Sie zu mehreren Billionen Dollar wirtschaftlicher Hilfe hinzu, die der Kongress letztes Jahr unter Herrn Trump genehmigt hat.

Das Paket spiegelte den Umfang der Herausforderung wider, vor der die Wirtschaft und das Gesundheitssystem des Landes stehen. In einem Briefing am Donnerstag stellte ein Biden-Beamter fest, dass die bestehende nationale Planung und Infrastruktur für Massenimpfungen und -tests weit weniger entwickelt war, als das ankommende Team des Weißen Hauses erwartet hatte.

Herr Biden erläuterte seinen sogenannten amerikanischen Rettungsplan in einer Abendrede in Delaware, wobei er seine Präsidentschaft effektiv startete und ihn in den hellsten Scheinwerfer seit seiner Nominierungsrede im vergangenen Sommer auf dem Democratic National Convention stellte.

Der gewählte Präsident schlug einen dringenden, aber optimistischen Ton an und sagte, die Vereinigten Staaten könnten ihre gegenwärtigen Herausforderungen bewältigen.

“Aus all der Gefahr dieses Augenblicks möchte ich, dass Sie wissen, dass ich das Versprechen sehe”, sagte Mr. Biden. “Ich bin so optimistisch wie nie zuvor.”

Aktualisiert

14. Januar 2021, 21:12 Uhr ET

Der Plan wurde von fortschrittlichen Gruppen sowie von der führenden Wirtschaftslobby des Landes, der US-Handelskammer, gelobt, die in Bezug auf Ausgaben und Vorschriften häufig im Widerspruch zur Obama-Regierung stand. “Wir begrüßen den Fokus des gewählten Präsidenten auf Impfungen sowie auf Wirtschaftssektoren und Familien, die weiterhin leiden, während die Pandemie weiter tobt”, sagte die Kammer in einer Erklärung.

Die Republikaner schwiegen weitgehend zu dem Plan, der die Art der staatlichen und lokalen Hilfe umfasst, die im letzten Jahr zu einem Knackpunkt in den Konjunkturverhandlungen wurde. Der Kongress konnte sich im Dezember erst auf ein 900-Milliarden-Dollar-Paket einigen, nachdem eine solche Hilfe ausgeschlossen worden war. Herr Biden erläuterte jedoch seine Gründe für die Aufnahme einer solchen Finanzierung und sagte, es sei wichtig, Kürzungen und Entlassungen zu vermeiden, die den Kampf gegen das Virus zurückhalten und die Wirtschaft weiter schädigen würden.

“Millionen von Menschen, die ihr Leben in Gefahr bringen, sind genau die Menschen, die jetzt Gefahr laufen, ihren Arbeitsplatz zu verlieren: Polizisten, Feuerwehrleute, alle Ersthelfer, Krankenschwestern, Pädagogen”, sagte Biden.

Der “Rettungs” -Vorschlag von Herrn Biden, der vollständig durch eine verstärkte Kreditaufnahme des Bundes finanziert würde, beruht auf der Idee, dass das Virus und die Genesung miteinander verflochten sind und dass sich die Wirtschaft ohne den Einsatz von Massenimpfstoffen nicht erholen kann.

“Was die Wirtschaft braucht, ist eine erfolgreiche Einführung der Impfstoffe und eine Verringerung der Risiken sozialer und wirtschaftlicher Aktivitäten”, sagte Aaron Sojourner, Arbeitsökonom an der Carlson School of Management der University of Minnesota, der im Wirtschaftsrat des Weißen Hauses tätig war Berater unter den Regierungen Obama und Trump. „Das wird einen großen Beitrag zur Förderung der Genesung leisten. Es wird nicht den ganzen Weg gehen, aber es wird einen langen Weg gehen. “

Herr Biden, der versprochen hat, bis zu seinem 100. Tag im Amt „100 Millionen Covid-Impfschüsse in die Arme des amerikanischen Volkes zu bekommen“, sagte letzte Woche, er beabsichtige, fast alle verfügbaren Coronavirus-Impfstoffflaschen nach seinem Amtsantritt freizugeben als einige zurückzuhalten, wie es die Trump-Administration getan hatte.

Das am Donnerstag angekündigte „nationale Impfprogramm“ in Höhe von 20 Milliarden US-Dollar sieht kommunale Impfzentren im ganzen Land vor. In jüngsten Reden sagte er, er würde gerne Massenimpfstellen in Gymnasien, Sportstadien und dergleichen sehen, die möglicherweise von der Nationalgarde oder Mitarbeitern der Federal Emergency Management Agency besetzt sind.

Herr Biden forderte auch ein „Programm für Arbeitsplätze im Bereich der öffentlichen Gesundheit“, das seine Ziele, die Wirtschaft und die Reaktion von Covid-19 zu stärken und gleichzeitig die fragile Infrastruktur des Landes im Bereich der öffentlichen Gesundheit wieder aufzubauen, ansprechen soll. Der Vorschlag würde 100.000 Beschäftigte im öffentlichen Gesundheitswesen finanzieren, um Impfstoffe zu erreichen und Kontakte aufzuspüren.

Gleichzeitig ist Herr Biden daran interessiert, die Rassenunterschiede anzugehen, die durch die Coronavirus-Pandemie, die das Leben und die Arbeit von Farbigen überproportional gefordert hat, so schmerzhaft aufgedeckt wurden. Er versprach, die Mittel für kommunale Gesundheitszentren zu erhöhen und die Bemühungen zur Eindämmung der Pandemie in Gefängnissen und Gefängnissen zu finanzieren, in denen Schwarze und Latinos überrepräsentiert sind.

In seinen Ausführungen beklagte Herr Biden eine „wachsende Hungerkrise“, insbesondere unter Minderheitengemeinschaften, und sagte: „Mehr als jeder fünfte schwarze und lateinamerikanische Haushalt in Amerika berichtet, dass er nicht genug zu essen hat. Es ist falsch. Es ist tragisch. Das ist inakzeptabel. “

Er schlug eine breite Palette von Bemühungen vor, um denjenigen zu helfen, die am meisten unter dem wirtschaftlichen Rückzug gelitten haben. Sein Plan würde 106 Millionen Amerikanern, unabhängig von der Größe ihres Arbeitgebers, bezahlten Noturlaub gewähren, ein Vorschlag, an dem viele Kongressrepublikaner arbeiteten, um in einem im vergangenen Frühjahr verabschiedeten Konjunkturprogramm zurückzuschneiden. Und es würde vielen Familien Steuergutschriften gewähren, um jährliche Kinderbetreuungskosten von bis zu 8.000 USD auszugleichen.

Es bietet Mietbeihilfen in Milliardenhöhe und würde Millionen der am stärksten betroffenen Kleinunternehmen Zuschüsse gewähren. Außerdem werden vorübergehend zwei Steuergutschriften erhöht, um einkommensschwachen Arbeitnehmern und Familien effektiv mehr Geld von der Regierung zukommen zu lassen. Und es würde das erweiterte Arbeitslosengeld bis Ende September verlängern, mit einem zusätzlichen wöchentlichen Zuschlag von 400 USD.

Herr Biden forderte den Kongress außerdem auf, den föderalen Mindestlohn auf 15 USD pro Stunde anzuheben, eine Priorität, die er während seiner Kampagne darlegte.

.

Herr Biden plant, im Februar einen weiteren, größeren Satz von Ausgabenvorschlägen vorzulegen, und er legte den Grundstein, um diese Bemühungen durch Steuererhöhungen für Unternehmen und Reiche zu finanzieren. Er zog einen scharfen Kontrast zwischen dem Leid der Niedriglohnarbeiter und denen, die ohne Gehaltsscheck mit den reichsten Amerikanern zu kämpfen hatten, und sagte, es gebe eine „wachsende Kluft zwischen den wenigen Menschen an der Spitze, denen es in dieser Wirtschaft recht gut geht – und den Rest von Amerika. “

“Seit Beginn dieser Pandemie ist das Vermögen der obersten 1 Prozent seit Ende letzten Jahres um rund 1,5 Billionen US-Dollar gewachsen – das Vierfache des Betrags für die gesamten unteren 50 Prozent”, sagte er.

Das zweite Paket wird sich voraussichtlich auf die Schaffung von Arbeitsplätzen und die Infrastruktur konzentrieren, einschließlich Ausgaben in Höhe von Hunderten von Milliarden US-Dollar für Projekte im Bereich saubere Energie wie Ladestationen für Elektrofahrzeuge sowie Ausgaben für Gesundheitsversorgung und Bildung.

Herr Biden hat gesagt, er werde daran arbeiten, die Unterstützung der Republikaner für seine Pläne aufzubauen, und er werde 10 Stimmen der Republikaner im Senat benötigen, um einen Filibuster zu überwinden. Aber Top-Demokraten im Repräsentantenhaus und im Senat bereiten sich darauf vor, schnell zu einem parlamentarischen Prozess überzugehen, der als Haushaltsausgleich bekannt ist, falls sie nur eine einfache Mehrheit im Senat erhalten können. Die Republikaner nutzten das Verfahren, um einen Filibuster zu umgehen und die Steuersenkungen von Herrn Trump im Jahr 2017 zu genehmigen.

Die Weigerung der Republikaner, ein Konjunkturpaket von mehr als 1 Billion US-Dollar in Betracht zu ziehen, hielt die Größe des letzten im Dezember verabschiedeten Gesetzes zur Erleichterung des Kongresses niedrig. Die Berater von Herrn Biden sagten am Donnerstag, sie seien zuversichtlich, dass das von ihm vorgeschlagene Paket von fast 2 Billionen US-Dollar in einer Zeit, in der die Zinssätze niedrig bleiben und viele Ökonomen den Gesetzgeber auffordern, die Ausgaben zu defizitieren, um das Wirtschaftswachstum zu fördern, breite Unterstützung bei den Demokraten finden würde.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg trug zur Berichterstattung bei.

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Business

Biden Set to Suggest $1.9 Trillion Spending Bundle to Fight Virus and Downturn

Biden Set to Propose $1.9 Trillion Spending Package to Combat Virus and Downturn

The Department of Labor reported Thursday that 1.15 million Americans filed new jobless claims in the first full week of the new year, up 25 percent from the previous week. Another 284,000 applications have been filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a federal emergency program for workers and freelancers who are normally not eligible for unemployment benefits. The nation cut 140,000 jobs in December, the department reported last week.

The second stimulus

Answers to your questions about the stimulus calculation

Updated December 30, 2020

The economic aid package will issue payments of $ 600 and distribute federal unemployment benefits of $ 300 for a minimum of 10 weeks. Find out more about the measure and what’s in it for you. For more information on how to get help, please visit our hub.

    • Do I get another incentive payment? Individual adults with adjusted gross income on their 2019 tax return of up to $ 75,000 per year will receive a payment of $ 600, and a couple (or someone whose spouse died in 2020) who earns up to $ 150,000 per year receives twice this amount. There is also a payment of $ 600 for each child for families who meet these income requirements. Individuals filing taxes with head of household status and earning up to $ 112,500 will also receive $ 600 plus the additional amount for children. People with incomes just above this level will receive a partial payment that decreases by $ 5 for every $ 100 of income.
    • When could my payment arrive? The finance department said on December 29 that it had started making direct deposits and would be mailing checks the next day. However, it will take a while for everyone to receive their money.
    • Does the agreement concern unemployment insurance? Legislators agreed to extend the length of time people can receive unemployment benefits and restart an additional federal benefit that is on top of the usual state benefits. But instead of $ 600 a week it would be $ 300. That will last until March 14th.
    • I am behind on my rent or expect to be soon. Do I get relief? The deal calls for $ 25 billion to be distributed by state and local governments to help backward tenants. In order to receive support, households must meet various conditions: the household income (for 2020) must not exceed 80 percent of the area median income; At least one household member must be at risk of homelessness or residential instability. and individuals must be eligible for unemployment benefits or face direct or indirect financial difficulties due to the pandemic. The agreement states that priority will be given to support for lower-income families who have been unemployed for three months or more.

The Biden “bailout” proposal, which would be funded entirely by increased federal borrowing, starts from the idea that the virus and recovery are intertwined.

Economists campaigning for more government aid to people and businesses said this week that Mr Biden’s advisors understand that the focus must be on vaccine use to get the virus under control.

“What the economy needs is a successful introduction of vaccines and a reduction in the risks of social and economic activity,” said Aaron Sojourner, labor economist at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management who served on the White House Economic Council advisers among the advisers Obama and Trump administrations. “This will go a long way toward promoting recovery. It won’t go all the way, but it will go a long way. “

Mr Biden, who has vowed to “get 100 million Covid vaccine shots in the arms of the American people” by his 100th day in office, said last week he intended to release almost all available coronavirus vaccine bottles after he took office as some hold back, as the Trump administration did.

The $ 20 billion program, which he will announce Thursday, calls for community vaccination centers across the country. In recent speeches, he said he would like to see mass vaccination sites in high schools, sports stadiums and the like that may be manned by the National Guard or Federal Emergency Management Agency staff.

Mr. Biden is also calling for a “Public Health Jobs Program” that aims to address its goals of strengthening the economy and response to Covid-19 while rebuilding the country’s fragile public health infrastructure. The proposal would fund 100,000 public health workers who “could perform critical tasks like contacting vaccines and tracing contacts,” the campaign said.

– This is a developing story. Please try again.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg contributed to the coverage.

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Politics

As His Predecessor Is Impeached, Biden Tries to Keep Above the Fray

As His Predecessor Is Impeached, Biden Tries to Stay Above the Fray

WASHINGTON – His fellow Democrats are furious after the Capitol attack, but President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has maintained a studied coolness and largely stayed away from the scorching debate that culminated on Wednesday with the impeachment and retention of President Trump His focus was on fighting a deadly pandemic, revitalizing a stalled economy, and lowering the political temperature.

Hours after the House of Representatives voted to indict Mr. Trump a second time, Mr. Biden condemned a so-called violent attack on the Capitol and the “public servants in this citadel of freedom”. He said a bipartisan group of lawmakers condemned the violence by following “the constitution and its conscience”.

But he also pledged to see Americans “stand together as a nation” when he becomes president next week, and showed the deliberate approach to politics that became the hallmark of his march into the White House.

“This nation also remains in the grip of a deadly virus and a volatile economy,” he said in a statement. “I hope the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their constitutional impeachment responsibilities while working on the nation’s other pressing issues.”

Instead of stepping up his party’s efforts to hold Mr Trump accountable, Mr Biden has postponed spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats in the House and Senate. Over the past week, he has refined policy proposals and introduced new candidates, while delivering a carefully calibrated message above the struggle. “Congress decides that you decide,” he said two days after the impeachment attacks.

Mr. Biden’s emphasis on the impending government challenge is based on the belief that the nation is in a devastating crisis and that his priority must be keeping Americans healthy and restoring the prosperity that has ensued in the midst of an increasingly devastating pandemic has evaporated. But it also highlights the contrast between his cautious, centrist attitude towards politics and the simmering anger of many elected democratic officials and voters over Trump’s attacks on democratic norms and their desire to punish him for them.

The president-elect has made it clear that after Trump’s four turbulent years in office, he wants to work to resolve the rift in America’s political culture.

“Too many of our fellow Americans have suffered too long in the past year to delay this urgent work,” he said in the statement. “I have said many times that if we do it together, there is nothing we cannot do. And it has never been more important for us to stand together as a nation as it is now. “

At the same time, in a sharply divided Congress, he will pursue a democratic agenda and force him to do a balancing act that will certainly be particularly precarious in the opening weeks of his administration, as the Senate will again litigate Mr. Trump’s behavior and weigh his condemnation.

“I think he looks calm,” said Stuart Stevens, a Republican strategist who helped shape Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign and has become an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump. “Part of that whole moment is getting back to normal. Having a level-headed president who doesn’t tweet angrily and try to win every news cycle – that’s a trademark of Biden. You were very patient. “

As a candidate, Mr Biden pursued a strategy that deliberately kept him above the battle and refused to be drawn into the chaotic vortex of Mr Trump’s presidency at every turn.

But what helped him win the Democratic nomination and the White House could weaken when he is sworn in at the Capitol next Wednesday, amid exceptional security, the potential for further political turmoil, and pent-up demand from his own party legislative victories.

After his tenure, Mr Biden will likely find it next to impossible to keep matters such as impeachment at bay, especially given the spectacle of a Senate process dominating reporting and slowing his urge to gain approval for his candidates. Robert Gibbs, who served as President Barack Obama’s first press secretary, recalled how the White House struggled in the early days of administration in 2009 to maintain the messaging discipline of its campaign.

The Biden transition

Updated

Jan. 14, 2021, 10:58 ET

“In a minute you can decide what to comment,” said Mr. Gibbs. “In the next minute, not only can you not make up your mind, you are also responsible for everything.”

The risk to Mr. Biden is that a determined effort to continue to focus on returning to normal will be seen as disconnected from a moment that doesn’t feel normal at all.

On Wednesday, Ms. Pelosi called Mr. Trump on the floor of the House “a clear and present threat to the country,” and a handful of Republicans warned of “a serious threat” from the seated president insisting “we can’t wait a moment longer” . remove him from office.

In contrast, the week since Mr Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol, Mr Biden has introduced members of his cabinet, called for a minimum wage increase, pledged to support small businesses and vowed action against the pandemic. Yet while making his disdain clear and reiterating his belief that the current president was unable to take office – and ripped Republicans like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas for their role in promoting unsubstantiated claims of widespread electoral fraud – Mr Biden avoided the questions Mr Trump should be charged and convicted.

Even as lawmakers were debating whether to become the first president to face two indictments, Mr Biden’s transition team on Wednesday sent out summaries of meetings involving some of his cabinet candidates, including a “listening session” on environmental justice issues and a “Virtual Round Table” on education for people with disabilities.

People close to the president-elect say Mr. Biden was appalled by the scene at the Capitol. But he’s caught between competing priorities: holding Mr. Trump accountable for inciting violence against residents of a building he worked in for decades and quickly moving his agenda through a Congress that is already deeply divided.

Mr Biden’s candidacy was at the center of the actions that led to Mr Trump’s first impeachment trial. Mr Trump tried to pressurize Ukraine to undercut Mr Biden through a series of events related to the work of Mr Biden’s son Hunter in that country.

When the Democrats announced their intention to indict Mr Trump for the first time in late September 2019, Mr Biden was slow to embrace a trial that many of his fellow Democrats considered long overdue. Just two weeks after Ms. Pelosi started legal proceedings against Mr. Trump, Mr. Biden specifically approved them.

This approach was in part a campaign strategy specifically designed to counter Mr. Trump’s ubiquitous tactics. But it was also a reflection of Mr. Biden’s temperament and broader political instincts.

Mr. Biden was a Senate creature for more than 30 years, many of them at a time of relative bipartisan fellowship on Capitol Hill. He was a deal maker who took pride in working with Republicans, respecting Senate traditions, and was less inclined than many of his peers to surf party passions. In fact, as a young senator in 1974, Mr. Biden was concerned about the impeachment of President Richard M. Nixon.

“I don’t know what’s on his head, but I suspect he’d have mixed feelings about his body over the past few decades,” said House Democrat James E. Clyburn of the ongoing impeachment whip and a close adviser to Mr Biden . “He’s an institutionalist.”

Mr Clyburn said the president-elect did not want to be distracted from the challenges the country would face once he succeeded Mr Trump in the Oval Office.

“He would love to go ahead to get the country going again and I agree,” said Mr Clyburn, who voted on Wednesday to indict Mr Trump. He said Mr. Biden understood how “egregious” Mr. Trump’s behavior was and “sought a level of comfort” that balanced the president’s punishment with the flipping of the Trump era.

Obama, too, faced difficult decisions when he took office in 2009 about how much time and energy to devote to grappling with the recent past and holding officials in the George W. Bush administration accountable.

In April of that year, Obama approved the publication of memos from the Bush White House approving the use of torture against terrorist suspects. In a long and Solomonic statement, however, Obama called for “reflection rather than retaliation” on an issue on which some Democrats called for war crimes to be prosecuted.

However, the likelihood of Washington being consumed by a Senate trial in the early days of Mr Biden’s administration will make the tension between his predecessor’s accountability and focus on the nation’s other pressing challenges particularly acute.

“As the Senate is consumed by the first,” said David Axelrod, Obama’s chief political advisor in 2009, “he may fear that it will be more difficult to implement his own deadlines and agenda.”

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Politics

Trump Senate impeachment trial seemingly throughout Joe Biden presidency

Trump Senate impeachment trial likely during Joe Biden presidency

A second impeachment trial against President Donald Trump is likely to impact President-elect Joe Biden’s tenure, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will bring the upper chamber back no earlier than Tuesday.

A Kentucky Republican spokesman confirmed that his office had informed Senate Minority Chairman Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., that McConnell would not convene the Senate until Tuesday, the day before Biden’s inauguration. Schumer had urged his GOP counterpart to deploy emergency forces to quickly hold a trial and vote on whether Trump should be convicted and removed from office.

The House will vote on Wednesday to indict Trump for inciting the Capitol uprising last week while Congress is counting Biden’s election victory. While the Democrats said they would have to prosecute Trump to hold him accountable for the violent uprising, they feared a Senate trial in the early days of Biden’s administration would hinder cabinet members’ approval and passage of a coronavirus aid package.

Biden has suggested that the Senate could “split up”, using part of its day to impeach and another part to validate candidates.

Schumer becomes majority leader after the two elected Democratic Senators from Georgia are sworn in, which is expected to happen before the end of the month. The House took extraordinary steps to get an impeachment article to speak on Wednesday, but it is unclear whether a McConnell-led Senate would take additional steps to expedite the process.

The trial against the Senate following the initial indictment against Trump lasted almost three weeks, from mid-January to early February last year.

The schedule makes it unlikely that Congress will remove Trump from office a week from Wednesday before Biden’s inauguration. However, a Senate vote to condemn Trump would prevent him from becoming president again in 2025.

The Washington Post first reported that McConnell would not bring the Senate back early.

If the Senate voted on whether or not to convict Trump before control changes hands, all 48 Democrats and 18 Republicans would have to support the move. If the Senate were to consider impeachment after the Democrats took control, all 50 party members plus 17 Republicans would have to support the conviction.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that McConnell believes Trump committed criminal acts. In a Wednesday message to colleagues responding to “speculation” in the press, McConnell said he had not made up his mind whether he would support the impeachment.

“I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to hear the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,” he wrote.

Senator Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Said he would consider a House-sent impeachment order. GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska and Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania urged Trump to resign.

“I want him out. He’s done enough damage,” Murkowski told the Anchorage Daily News.

Other Senate Republicans have already said they will not vote to condemn the president. Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of Trump who distanced himself from the president following the attack, said Wednesday he was opposed to impeachment.

The South Carolina Republican criticized the hasty process in the House of Representatives, claiming that Trump was “committed to an orderly transfer of power to promote calm and oppose violence.” On Tuesday the president said the impeachment posed an “enormous threat” to the country.

Graham has also looked at Republicans who support impeachment.

“My Republican colleagues who legitimize this process are damaging not only the country, the future of the presidency, but also the party,” he said.

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Politics

Rubio urges Biden to name for $2,000 stimulus checks on Day 1

Rubio urges Biden to call for $2,000 stimulus checks on Day 1

Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Exits a subway car on the Senate subway on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, between votes at the Capitol in Washington DC.

Caroline Brehman | CQ appeal | Getty Images

Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio urges President-elect Joe Biden to push for $ 2,000 in direct payments to Americans on the first day of his presidency as a token of unity following the DC uprising last week.

“Last Wednesday was one of the darkest days in our history. Everywhere in our nation people are looking for answers and calling for accountability, but they are also desperate for hope: hope that Washington leaders can take steps to help our deeply divided People to Heal Nation, “the Florida Republican wrote in a letter to Biden Tuesday.

He added, “It would send a strong message to the American people if, on the first day of your presidency, you asked the House and Senate to pass laws to you to increase direct payments to Americans for the economic impact that because of the pandemic to have to fight from $ 600 to $ 2,000. “

Rubio and Biden both supported $ 2,000 direct payments in the Covid-19 auxiliary bill that was passed late last year. That move was blocked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Biden has not yet set his full agenda for the next round of coronavirus-related aid, but is expected to do so on Thursday. It was already expected that he would push for $ 2,000 in payments.

Democrats have more leverage over the next round of talks thanks to the party’s victories in Georgia’s two democratic runoff elections last week, which allowed them to control the upper chamber of Congress. Democrats will soon hold the Senate, House of Representatives, and White House. Biden will be inaugurated on January 20th at 12 noon.

Following news of the Georgia victories, Biden said he would be pushing for “trillions” in spending on Covid-19 aid.

“It is necessary to spend the money now,” Biden said last week. “The answer is yes, it will be in the trillions of dollars, a whole package.”

The economy, which has been plagued by the health crisis since March, has recently shown signs of deteriorating again after months of lukewarm recovery. The number of non-farm workers fell by 140,000 last month. This marked the first net job loss for the economy since the US lockdown began

In the letter, Rubio urged Biden not to let the payments “get entangled in normal political games by adding a wish-list of left-wing or other unrelated priorities to this legislation”.

“All too often, popular and necessary legislation is used as a lever to secure passage for guidelines that cannot of their own accord,” wrote Rubio. “We saw it already in the middle of the pandemic, when additional funding for small businesses was repeatedly blocked for months.”

The Biden transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

One of the possible measures that Biden has proposed as part of the aid package for Covid-19 is an increase in the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour, a longstanding Democratic priority. Two-thirds of Americans said last year that they are in favor of raising the minimum wage to this level, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center.

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Politics

Ken Langone blasts Trump, Capitol rioters, vows to help Joe Biden

Ken Langone blasts Trump, Capitol rioters, vows to support Joe Biden

Republican businessman Ken Langone on Wednesday blew up the Capitol Hill riot last week and charged CNBC with feeling “betrayed” by the actions of President Donald Trump that led to the deadly events.

“I think the biggest mistake anyone is going to make is trying to rationalize what happened last week, what the president did and what that crowd did,” Langone told Squawk Box. “There shouldn’t be any mitigation at all. It was horrible. It was wrong. I’m shocked.”

Trump’s supporters overtook the U.S. Capitol exactly a week ago to prevent Congress from completing President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the electoral college. Trump’s incendiary rhetoric and repeated lies about widespread fraud in the November elections helped anger his supporters, and during a speech in Washington, the president encouraged supporters gathered in the city to march to the Capitol.

“I feel cheated,” said Langone, who has been very supportive of Trump’s economic policies over the years and at times also criticized the president, for example for his reaction to the deadly rally by white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.

“Last Wednesday was a shame,” added Langone, the billionaire co-founder of Home Depot, who has donated to Republicans over the years. “It should never have happened in this country. If it doesn’t break the heart of every American, something is wrong. It sure breaks my heart. I didn’t sign up for it.”

Langone, who is the chairman of the board of directors of NYU Langone Medical Center, called on Americans to rally behind Biden and give up bias. “If there is a time in history when all Americans must be patriots, it is this time,” he said.

“I will do everything I can from day one to make sure I do my part in making Joe Biden the most successful president in this country’s history,” added Langone. “There is a selfish reason for this, we have very serious major problems to solve in America,” such as the coronavirus pandemic and public education.

Langone’s comments come as the House of Representatives prepares to indict Trump again, this time for the second time for his role in inciting the Capitol uprising. The democratically led effort was supported by a number of GOP members, including Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. She is the third-placed Republican in the house.

“I don’t care,” Langone said, if Trump is charged. “There is only one thing I care about: Joe Biden will be sworn in as president on January 20th.”

Langone was asked specifically about Republican Congressmen who voted against Biden’s victory, even after the deadly uprising. “I honestly don’t know what the hell they were thinking. … What kind of grandstand game was that?” “”

“There will be a lot of time and I am sure there will be a lot of energy going into what they have to do, whether it is Trump, these senators or whatever,” added Langone. “At the end of the day, thank God, we are a democracy and the voters will have the last word.”