Biden wants Congress to take action on gun reform

Jeff Zients, the White House coordinator on COVID-19, announced on Tuesday that starting next week, the government will begin shipping a small number of coronavirus vaccine doses directly to select pharmacies across the country.

Zients said 1 million doses will go to 6,500 pharmacies on Feb. 11 on top of the 10.5 million doses that will be delivered next week to states for distribution. He said more doses will continue to reach pharmacies as the program expands with time.

The allocation will be based on population, but Zients said the government is making sure to reach pharmacies "in areas that are harder to reach to ensure that we have equitable distribution.”

The initial number of pharmacies to receive doses -- 6,500 -- represents a small number of the 40,000 pharmacies nationwide.

Additionally, people receiving a shot through pharmacies will still have to meet their state’s eligibility requirements.

“I wanted to set expectations appropriately,” Zients told reporters in a Zoom call Tuesday. “Due to the current supply constraints, this will be limited when it begins … In the early phase, many pharmacies across the country will not have vaccine, or may have very limited supply."

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm Pete Buttigieg to lead the Department of Transportation in a 86-13 vote.

The former 2020 presidential candidate and South Bend, Indiana, mayor makes history as the first openly gay Cabinet member in U.S. history to be confirmed by the chamber.

At age 39, Buttigieg also represents another "first" as a millennial and the youngest person nominated to Biden's Cabinet.

Buttigieg has pledged to recognize how infrastructure has the power to bridge racial and economic disparities in America, as well as to keep in lockstep with Biden's agenda of fighting climate change and address systems reeling from plummeting ridership amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He will assume a department with 55,000 employees and a budget of tens of billions of dollars.

Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will join the Democratic virtual caucus lunch Tuesday afternoon, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's office.

The meeting comes amid talks over next steps for COVID-19 relief and the question of whether Democrats will proceed with Biden's $1.9 trillion "American Rescue Plan" plan without bipartisan support.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

In floor remarks Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will press on with their budget resolution with a vote to proceed to consideration in the afternoon, setting up the first steps of passing COVID-19 relief through the reconciliation process. 

"Time is a luxury our country does not have," Schumer said.

Schumer renewed calls for "big, bold relief" but told his Republican colleagues he welcomes their suggestions for the budget resolution. 

"This process is open to bipartisanship," he continued.

Senate Minority Leader McConnell did not mention COVID-19 talks during his floor remarks but said he will vote against the confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as Department of Homeland Security secretary, citing a 2015 inspector general report that raised questions about Mayorkas' actions in his former role at DHS. 

"We are talking about shoving through green cards as political favors and intervening to overturn denials," McConnell said.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin