McEnany: COVID-19 vaccine rollout a 'great day for America'
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany addresses the 'remarkable progress' of COVID-19 vaccines and President Trump taking aim at Attorney General Bill Barr on the Hunter Biden probe.
President Trump is putting the American people first in the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Monday before accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., of stalling critical financial aid.
“The president decided front-line workers need to come first," McEnany told “Outnumbered Overtime". "Our residents in long-term care facilities need to come first."
Trump tweeted Sunday night that administration officials "should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary. ... I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time."
"We will still have continuity of government," McEnany explained. "Key officials like Situation Room staff, among others, will have access to this vaccine, and some certain members of Congress, and there will be continuity of government. But he is unashamed in saying, 'Look, number one, it's the most vulnerable, it's our heroic frontline workers -- who should be Time [magazine] Person of the Year, by the way -- and it should be our residents in long-term care facilities.'"
BIPARTISAN GROUP TO UNVEIL $908B CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PROPOSAL AS YEAR-END DEADLINE LOOMS
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of senators was set to unveil a $908 billion coronavirus relief bill later Monday as the deadline looms for Congress to strike a deal before the end of the year.
A framework released by the group shows the aid package allocates about $300 billion in funding for small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program, $240 billion in aid for state and local governments, and $180 billion to increase unemployment benefits by $300 per week through March.
The framework aslo includes liability protections for businesses that remain open during the pandemic and would funnel $16 billion into vaccine distribution, testing, and contact tracing, put $82 billion into education, and give $45 billion for transportation.
“We want to see this thing get done,” McEnany said Monday.
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“I talked with the [White House] chief of staff [Mark Meadows] about it this morning. He said Nancy Pelosi is unfortunately putting the interest of trial lawyers first. These trial lawyers are the ones who are going to go after small businesses. That’s the last thing they need as they are trying to weather COVID, is all of this liability on their hands,” McEnany added.
"We also want the money to go directly to the American people in the form of direct payment checks," the press secretary added. "Come on, Nancy Pelosi. Negotiate. That is all we are asking for.”
Fox Business' Megan Henney contributed to this report.
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