Biden says 'no time to waste' on COVID relief bill

He made brief remarks Saturday after the House passed the legislation.

This is Day 40 of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.


Christie: A lot of Trump's policies are things Republicans support

Ahead of former President Donald Trump's address at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, Sunday afternoon, ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked former New Jersey Governor and ABC News contributor Chris Christie about statements made by Republican leaders in recent weeks.

"Three weeks ago, you had Mitch McConnell saying the president bears responsibility for the siege.  Kevin McCarthy says the same thing.  Kevin McCarthy's at CPAC saying this is Trump's Republican Party.  Mitch McConnell says he'd vote for him in 2024," Stephanopoulos said.

"The bottom line is this, George.  You know, Donald Trump is not a departing two-term president like George W. Bush was and as a result, he's got an opportunity to come back again if he wants to.  And there are going to be some in the party who want him and there are going to be some in the party who don't," Christie said. "But what is consistent is many of the policies that were pursued over the last four years -- take aside the personality; take aside the tweets -- a lot of those policies are things that Republicans support."


Fauci: Need to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized use of a third COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., declaring the Johnson & Johnson vaccine safe and effective in adults 18 and older.

ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Dr. Anthony Fauci about hesitancy from people over its reported efficacy compared to others.

"What do you say to those who want to wait for Moderna and Pfizr?" Stephanopoulos asked.

"We have to get away from that line of thought," Fauci responded. "We have three highly efficacious vaccines. Safe and efficacious."

"If I went into a clinic and said we have JJ now, I would take the one that is available to me now," Fauci continued.


Biden sends letter on Syria airstrike to leaders of House, Senate

The White House released a letter Saturday from President Biden to the speaker of the House and president pro tempore of the Senate on the airstrike in eastern Syria, in his effort to keep Congress "fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Act."

"I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect United States citizens both at home and abroad and in furtherance of United States national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct United States foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive. The United States took this action pursuant to the United States' inherent right of self-defense as reflected in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter," Biden wrote in the letter.

This comes following some bipartisan criticism the White House received over the decision to carry out the airstrike in Syria.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle



Biden teases announcement on US actions with Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi report

As Biden departed the White House to board Marine One Saturday afternoon, he was asked if he planned to punish Saudi Arabia’s crown prince following a U.S. intelligence report that concluded he ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Biden carefully teased an announcement but said it wouldn’t specifically pertain to Khashoggi’s murder.

He said, “there will be an announcement on Monday as to what we’re going to be doing with Saudi Arabia in general.”

The president then left the White House for Delaware.

On Friday the Office of Director of National Intelligence released a highly anticipated report on the death of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident who was murdered and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in Oct. 2018.

It revealed the U.S. intelligence community found Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill him.

The Saudi government has denied that that the crown prince was involved and instead blamed the death on a rogue team of government agents.

The killing has roiled the United States' longstanding ties with Saudi Arabia.

Biden said he spoke to King Salman on Thursday, one day before the report was released.


House Democrat details reasons for voting "no" on COVID-19 relief bill

Rep. Jared Golden, one of only two House Democrats who voted against the COVID-19 bill early Saturday, detailed his decision to vote no in a lengthy statement, taking issue with the size and scope of the package -- and the large price tag that comes with it.

Golden said he supported funding for vaccine distribution and testing, and emergency unemployment benefits, but disagreed with the funding efforts that duplicate efforts still being funded by previous stimulus plans or that he views as unnecessary -- including the income range for the $1400 Direct Checks


"This bill allocates $1,400 direct checks to individuals making up to $75,000 and married couples making up to $150,000, with phased-down checks for households with incomes as high as $200,000. Under this bill, it is estimated that over 90 percent of Maine tax filers would receive a check from the federal government. While those who have lost jobs or had hours reduced ought to receive income support, it is a waste to send a third round of government checks to wealthy individuals making almost three times the average household salary in Maine’s Second Congressional District," he wrote.

Golden also took issue with the inclusion of the Child Tax Credit expansion, a two-year enhancement of premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and multiemployer pension reform, saying he supported the policy but disagreed with passing them through an emergency bill.

“Many have popularly claimed that the biggest threat is not that Congress goes too big but that it goes too small in responding to the current economic situation," Golden wrote, paraphrasing Biden's common talking point.

"They are ignoring the possibility of a much-anticipated infrastructure proposal from the Biden Administration later this year which could offer a chance for Congress to further boost the economy if necessary. Between the money spent in 2020 and today’s package, we are already nearing $6 trillion in new spending in less than one year. This amount of new spending is unprecedented since World War II. It’s not unreasonable to take a step back and ask ourselves if we are making every dollar count and picking the right priorities. At some point, the bill has to come due, and when it does, it could put at risk critical programs such as Medicare or sap resources needed for important future priorities, from rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure to fixing our broken healthcare system.”

Notably, nowhere in the statement is the issue of the $15 minimum wage mentioned.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle