Biden reacts to new vaccine, urges economic action
During brief remarks Friday, Biden shared his first reaction to news of Johnson & Johnson’s new COVID-19 vaccine.
“I’m waiting to hear from my team on the details,” the president said. “I saw it was reported on the news this morning.”
“I haven't had a chance to speak with Dr. Fauci,” he added.
His comments came after a meeting to discuss the economy with his Vice President Kamala Harris and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Biden claimed that economists left, right, and center agree this is a unique moment in the crisis as he touted his economic rescue package.
"The cost of inaction is high, and it's growing every day," Biden said. "The choice couldn't be clearer. We have learned from past crises, the risk is not doing too much. The risk is not doing enough."
The president emphasized that his plan will actually grow the economy -- in apparent response to GOP arguments that the minimum wage increases could hurt small businesses or that increasing the national debt could hamper the economy in the future.
"Let's get this straight -- it's not only that people will be badly, badly hurt if we don't pass this package, not only in terms of increased death, in terms of poverty, a whole range of things. But, we will also be hurt long-term economically,” he said. “We need to make these investments so the economy can grow the remainder of this year and next year.”
Yellen added what is becoming a common refrain for her, saying that, “The price of doing nothing is much higher than the price of doing something, and doing something big.”
“The benefits of acting big will far outweigh the costs in the long run," Yellen added.
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky