House expected to pass COVID relief bill next week

Congressional Democrats on Thursday unveiled sweeping immigration reform legislation, which essentially consists of a roundup of immigration priorities President Joe Biden laid out on his first day in office.

The reform proposal is the most ambitious effort so far to counteract the Trump administration's hardline border policies.

The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 would create an eight-year path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented people in the country. The measure provides funding for more immigration judges and support staff to help with the backlog of asylum seekers. The bill provides for increased security at ports of entry focused on detecting drugs and other contraband.

Counties and municipalities will be able to petition for additional work visas as needed under the reform bill. The bill would also remove the word "alien" in the immigration code and replace it with "noncitizen."

It would end the three and 10-year bans on reentry for undocumented immigrants who voluntarily leave the country,
reform the legal immigration processes by no longer counting spouses and minor children against a country's share of allotted visas and would increase from 55,000 to 80,000 the number of diversity visas issued for countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.

-ABC News' Cecilia Vega and Quinn Owen

White House deputy national security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall joined White House press secretary Jen Psaki in a White House press briefing with an update on the winter storm and power outages in Texas.

Sherwood-Randall said Biden held a call with governors on Tuesday to offer whatever federal help was needed, including approving emergency declarations in Texas, Oklahoma and processing a new request from Louisiana to allow FEMA to offer immediate assistance. 

Sherwood-Randall noted that as of Thursday morning, numbers of those without power in Texas have fallen from in the millions to around 600,000 but stressed that due to the nature of the storm, residents would likely still experience rolling power outages as officials work to restore power across the state. When asked for additional specifics on what FEMA had provided to Texas, Sherwood-Randall said FEMA “has made 60 generators and fuel available to support critical sites like hospitals and water facilities. It has moved in 729,000, liters of water, more than 10,000 wool blankets, 50,000 cotton blankets and 225,000 meals.”

Psaki addressed the winter storm’s impact on the vaccination effort, saying the administration was staying in close contact with partners.

“We're also working with our partners to move on scheduled deliveries whenever possible and to search shipment operations through the end of the week into the weekend. We're in conversation about extended hours and additional appointments to try and reschedule shots given the storm,” Psaki said. 

Psaki said Biden had spoken with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott two days ago to convey his commitment to helping and stressed that the president was being kept aware of the unfolding situation Thursday while working from the White House. She did not commit to a visit from Biden to the region due to the strain a presidential trip can put on local resources. 

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

White House press secretary Jen Psaki discussed the newly revealed immigration reform bill which would provide a pathway to citizenship for 11 million immigrants during a virtual press briefing Thursday.

Psaki wouldn’t say whether the White House supports the idea of splitting up the bill's proposals to get them through Congress and recognized that proposed bills do not always look exactly like final bills that get signed -- indicating either a recognition that some priorities might be dropped or that the bill could be split. 

Pressed on why the administration unveiled the bill Thursday when the White House has consistently made clear its sole legislative focus is COVID-19 relief, Psaki said the negotiation process can begin while the White House pushes COVID-19 aid.

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky

Harris hosted a virtual roundtable Thursday with women lawmakers and community leaders to highlight the disproportionate impact of the economic downturn on women. Harris and the congresswomen delivered brief opening remarks citing statistics that illustrate the impact on women, calling once again for passage of the administration's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue plan.

"In one year, the pandemic has put decades of the progress we've collectively made for women workers at risk," Harris said, pointing out that 2.5 million women have dropped out of the workforce, and one in four female small business owners have had to shut their doors. 

Harris also touched on the child care crisis. 

"Many of you are working mothers, many of you are caring for your own parents sandwiched between two generations. And all of you are a voice of women who have been severely impacted by this pandemic," Harris said. "Which is why you know, it has created a perfect storm for women."

Harris summed up the economic plight of women as a "national emergency."

"Our economy cannot fully recover unless women can participate fully. So, I believe, I think we all believe, this is a national emergency," Harris said. 

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., was among the participants in the roundtable who said passing Biden's COVID-19 relief plan could help.

"The American Rescue Plan really shows a commitment to women as equal partners in our economy and our country's future," Murray said. 

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky