House expected to pass COVID relief bill next week

The legislation includes an increase to the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

ByMichelle Stoddart, Lauren King, and Kate Pastor
Last Updated: February 25, 2021, 1:45 AM EST

This is Day 33 of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Top headlines:

Here is how events are unfolding. All times Eastern.
Feb 20, 2021, 10:25 AM EST

Biden approves Texas disaster declaration

Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for Texas stemming from the severe weather that destroyed the state's power grid.

PHOTO: Suzanne Mitchel, looks at her water damaged ceiling in Dallas on Feb. 19, 2021. As power was restored, Texans confronted another crisis: A shortage of drinkable water as pipes cracked, wells froze and water treatment plants were knocked offline.
Suzanne Mitchel, looks at her water damaged ceiling in Dallas on Feb. 19, 2021. As power began to flicker back on across much of Texas, millions across the state confronted another dire crisis: a shortage of drinkable water as pipes cracked, wells froze and water treatment plants were knocked offline.
Nitashia Johnson/The New York Times via Redux

The federal funds are available to 77 of the state’s counties and can be used for “grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” according to the White House.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Feb 19, 2021, 7:14 PM EST

Biden tells acting head of FEMA he's 'ready to mobilize' Texas help 

President Biden told acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Bob Fenton Friday afternoon he was "ready to mobilize" federal agencies to support Texas during the state's weather crisis, according to a readout from the White House of their call.

Biden told Fenton he wants to "ensure that any critical needs are met." As he previewed earlier Friday, the president also said he plans to sign Texas' Major Disaster Declaration request "as soon as FEMA sends over the formal request from Gov. [Greg] Abbott." 

City of Richardson workers close a water main valve for a pipe that burst due to extreme cold, Feb. 17, 2021, in Richardson, Texas.
Lm Otero/AP

Biden added his White House would continue to stay in close contact with FEMA and local officials through senior administration officials. 

More than 14 million people are scrambling for safe drinking water and many lack the power to boil it after a historic winter storm earlier this week knocked out power and froze pipes across Texas. 

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Feb 19, 2021, 4:25 PM EST

Pfizer officials show expanded capacity to Biden during manufacturing site tour

Pfizer workers gave President Joe Biden a lot to be happy about during his tour of the Kalamazoo, Michigan, manufacturing site. He was shown two new assembly lines that will be able to produce 700,000 doses per hour starting next week, and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla confirmed Pfizer's supply of lipids needed to produce the vaccines has greatly increased.

Biden was accompanied by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Bourla and Shawn Hamilton, the production lead at the site.

President Joe Biden, right, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, left, tour a Pfizer manufacturing site, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Portage, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Evan Vucci/AP

A process engineer explained to Biden that six months ago the site was "basically warehouse space," and the whole facility was designed and completed in that amount of time.

"We feel we are now going to run capacity, good news for manufacturing capacity, we will improve our weekly segments more than double," Bourla said.

The president said the country is on track to have enough vaccine supply for all Americans by next summer while he visited the manufacturing plant.
1:18

President Biden tours Pfizer plant in Michigan

The president said the country is on track to have enough vaccine supply for all Americans by next summer while he visited the manufacturing plant.
ABCNews.com

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky

Feb 19, 2021, 1:50 PM EST

Biden visits factory benefiting from Defense Production Act

White House press secretary Jen Psaki spoke with journalists on Air Force One en route to Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Biden will tour a Pfizer vaccine facility and deliver remarks Friday.

Psaki said the president wanted to see the factory in action because it employs many Michiganders and because it is "producing a large swath of the Pfizer vaccines that are going out to the American public." She also said that the factory benefitted from Biden invoking the Defense Production Act.

"The administration engaged with Pfizer suppliers to obtain the equipment needed to expand manufacturing capacity, including at the facility in Kalamazoo," Psaki said.