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.


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Biden issues major disaster declaration for Oklahoma

Biden issued a major disaster declaration for Oklahoma in the wake of winter storms in the U.S. south. The declaration covers 16 counties in Oklahoma and allows increased federal funding for recovery.

On Saturday, Biden issued a major disaster declaration for Texas, which freed up funds to aid recovery efforts after the storms left millions without power. The president is set to visit Texas on Friday to see relief efforts and visit a vaccine distribution facility.

-ABC News' Sarah Kolinovsky


GOP finds risky form of unity in opposing COVID relief bill: The Note

The Republican Party is both less divided and more divided than it seems at the moment -- and not in ways that glide along the easiest political paths.

On the question of former President Donald Trump, the GOP is less divided than a colorful House leadership news conference might make it seem. The party still belongs primarily to Trump, as the CPAC gathering that begins Thursday in Florida will demonstrate.

On the question of President Joe Biden's agenda, there's actually more GOP dissension than meets the eye. The first floor votes on Biden's COVID-19 package are coming Friday in the House, yet united Republican opposition in Congress doesn't align with public polling on the topic.

Among the public at large, Biden and his COVID plans are considerably more popular than Trump and opposing COVID relief, at least for now. But Republican lawmakers appear to fear more political blowback in opposing Trump than voting "no" on COVID bills.

-ABC News Political Director Rick Klein


Vilsack sworn in as agriculture secretary via Zoom

Tom Vilsack was sworn in as the secretary of agriculture Wednesday evening in a ceremony the vice president said was her first via Zoom.

Harris was in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with a pool of journalists and Vilsack appeared on a large screen with his family.

"Congratulations, Mr. Secretary and to the whole family," Harris said after he was sworn in. "The president is so excited. We've got a lot of work to do and we'll do it together."

Vilsack is returning to a role he held in the Obama administration for eight years. He previously served two terms as Iowa's governor.

He was confirmed on Tuesday by a vote of 92-7.


Biden reverses Trump proclamation restricting immigration during pandemic

Biden has reversed former President Donald Trump's presidential proclamation restricting immigration during the COVID-19 pandemic citing the economy, saying it does not advance the interests of the United States.

"To the contrary, it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families here. It also harms industries in the United States that utilize talent from around the world. And it harms individuals who were selected to receive the opportunity to apply for, and those who have likewise received, immigrant visas through the Fiscal Year 2020 Diversity Visa Lottery," Biden wrote in a proclamation of his own.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle


Biden, Harris tout vaccine progress on Thursday

Biden and Harris will participate in an event Thursday afternoon commemorating 50 million COVID-19 vaccine shots administered during the Biden administration, which is halfway to Biden’s goal of distributing 100 million COVID-19 shots in his first 100 days in office.

When Biden set out the goal at the beginning of his term, the administration was already on pace to administer nearly 1 million vaccines a day, which some public health experts have said is not fast enough to control the pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, has estimated that 325 million people will need to be immunized for the pandemic to end and to reach that threshold, Biden would need more vaccinations.

Biden has rejected the suggestion that his goal was too low, telling reporters in January that, "it's a good start."

Meanwhile, Harris visited a Giant supermarket in Southeast Washington, D.C. Thursday morning to promote the administration’s Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 vaccinations, which has delivered 1 million doses to over 6,500 pharmacies across the country.

Harris spoke to the store's pharmacist and then watched as a patient, Brenda Thompson, received her second dose of the Moderna vaccine.

Biden will also participate in the National Governors Association’s Winter Meeting Wednesday afternoon, and the White House will give a press briefing at 12:30 p.m.