NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- President Joe Biden on Thursday signed the newly-passed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill into law inside the Oval Office, calling it "historic legislation" that would give Americans struggling amid the ongoing pandemic a "fighting chance."
“In the weeks that this bill has been discussed and debated, it’s clear that an overwhelming percentage of the American people — Democrats, independents, our Republican friends — have made it clear they strongly support the American Rescue Plan," Biden said at signing ceremony Thursday afternoon.
"Yesterday, with the final passage of the plan in the House of Representatives, their voices were heard and reflected in everything we have in this bill," he added. "And I believe this is, and most people do as well, this historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country and giving people in this nation — working people and middle-class folks, the people who built the country — a fighting chance. That’s what the essence is.”
Congress passed the sweeping bill — which is set to deliver $1,400 stimulus checks to many Americans — on Wednesday. The Senate signed off on the package over the weekend.
Chief of staff Ron Klain tweeted that the bill arrived at the White House on Wednesday night, more quickly than anticipated. “We want to move as fast as possible,” he said.
Biden is set to address the nation from the White House at 8 p.m. Thursday as the U.S. marks one year since the start of the pandemic.
The president said he would “talk about what we’ve been through as a nation this past year, but more importantly, I’m going to talk about what comes next.”
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