Biden calls for swift action while outlining $1.9 trillion virus relief package

President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday outlined his $1.9 trillion stimulus proposal and called for swift action on it, warning that the health of the nation and its economy hang in the balance.

“The crisis of human suffering is in plain sight. We have to act and we have to act now,” Biden said during a speech in Wilmington, Del. “We cannot afford inaction.”

Speaking six days before he will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States, Biden laid out a plan that would support coronavirus vaccination efforts, help reopen schools, deliver critical aid to workers and small businesses, tackle the hunger crisis and send funding to state and local governments.

He said that his plan would be two-pronged.