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.


0

Biden's AG pick to face questions before Senate Judiciary Committee

Merrick Garland, Biden's pick for attorney general, could face tricky political questions during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. In the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Garland and Democrats are expected to point to Garland's work prosecuting the Oklahoma City bombing as evidence of his ability to investigate and prosecute domestic terrorism.

"If confirmed, I will supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6 – a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government,” Garland will say.

Garland's opening statement also conveys a commitment to equity, saying that upholding the Civil Rights Act remains "urgent" for the Department of Justice. Garland has received ample bipartisan support, ahead of his confirmation hearings before Senate Judiciary Monday and Tuesday, 61 former federal judges and a bipartisan group of more than 150 former Justice Department officials have penned letters in support of Garland's confirmation.

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin and Benjamin Siegel


Biden meets with lawmakers about supply chain vulnerabilities

In keeping with the White House's focus of the day, Biden held a bipartisan Oval Office meeting Wednesday with House and Senate members ahead of signing an executive order mandating a review of critical U.S. supply chains.

"The last year has shown the vulnerability we have with some of the supply chains, including the PPE that we needed badly but had to go abroad to get. And there are current strategies," Biden said.

Biden praised the bipartisan effort to address the shortage of the chips for cars and said the group planned to discuss the problem, along with other shortage issues.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle