Headlines this week illustrate President Biden’s historic achievement of delivering both 150 million checks and 150 million shots in arms before his first 100 days in office. President Biden also announced every US adult will be eligible for the vaccine starting on April 19, two weeks ahead of his original May 1 goal. Hitting these milestones is a testament to President Biden’s leadership and commitment to getting Americans back on their feet and out of this crisis as quickly as possible. There is no doubt that the American Rescue Plan is having a tangible impact on Americans’ lives, as Americans are already feeling the impact of direct checks and funding for shots in arms at record pace.
Read what the headlines are reporting on President Biden’s achievements:
CNBC: U.S. Surpasses 150 Million Vaccine Shots Under Biden, on Track to Hit President’s New 200 million Goal. “If the country maintains its current daily pace throughout the rest of the month, the Biden administration will land somewhere around 225 million total doses administered in that 100-day period. Biden announced Tuesday that states should open vaccine appointments to all U.S. adults by April 19, moving up his original deadline by nearly two weeks.” [CNBC, 4/7/21]
Bloomberg: U.S. Has Sent More Than 150 Million Checks in Biden Relief Plan. “The Biden administration has officially distributed more than 150 million stimulus checks as of Wednesday from the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, one of the key benchmarks the president had hoped to hit during his first 100 days in office. The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service have sent out roughly 156 million payments to people, totaling roughly $372 billion, according to the Treasury Department. The majority of these latest payments went to Social Security recipients and beneficiaries, providing a cash infusion more than a year into the pandemic.” [Bloomberg, 4/7/21]
CNN: Biden Moves Deadline for All Us Adults to Be Eligible for COVID Vaccine to April 19. “Speaking at the White House after visiting a vaccination center in Alexandria, Virginia, Biden said that 150 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered within his first 75 days in office, in line with a stated goal of 200 million shots by his 100th day in office. While the President was pleased with the progress, he stressed the US must continue to ramp up efforts to beat the pandemic.” [CNN, 4/6/21]
Bloomberg: Biden Says States Should Open Shots to All Adults by April 19. “More than 100 million Americans have gotten at least one dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, close to a third of the population. The daily rates are expected to rise further as vaccine-makers deliver a promised 700 million doses by the end of July, which is enough for 400 million people.” [Bloomberg, 4/6/21]
USA Today: Stimulus Checks Sent to 156M Americans, Including Social Security Beneficiaries and ‘Plus up’ COVID Payments. “The Internal Revenue Service sent out COVID-19 relief checks to more than 25 million Americans in the fourth round of payments made under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the agency said Wednesday. That brings the total disbursed payments from the latest stimulus package to more than 156 million payments, worth about $372 billion. The payments, which total up to $1,400 each per individual, were distributed mostly by direct deposits and paper checks.” [USA Today, 4/7/21]
ABC News: US Treasury: 156 Million Coronavirus Relief Payments Issued. “Roughly $372 billion has been paid out since March 12, a sum that likely boosted hiring last month as Americans had more money to spend. White House officials had previously estimated that 158.5 million households would receive the payments. Wednesday’s batch of payments showed how the administration is going beyond IRS filings to get out the money. It included 19 million payments to Social Security recipients who had not submitted tax returns for the past two years and didn’t use a tool last year for non-filers to receive the two previous rounds of direct payments.” [ABC News, 4/7/21]