Vox Sentences - The $1.9 trillion Biden agenda

Biden unveils $1.9 trillion relief plan; Uganda’s early election results tainted by allegations of rigging.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. Sentences will be off on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

• Joe Biden revealed his opening offer for a stimulus bill Thursday in an ambitious, $1.9 trillion proposal that targets the three main planks of his recovery strategy: Covid-19 response aid, direct relief for families, and funding for communities and businesses. [Vox / Emily Stewart]
• The rescue plan, which Biden is pitching as half of a “rescue and recovery” program, is expected to be matched in price by its follow-up, which has yet to be announced. [Yahoo! News / Brittany Shepard]
• Noting the high cost, Biden said in his speech that “the health of the nation is at stake,” mandating a significant response. Both progressive organizations and the US Chamber of Commerce expressed initial support for the plan. [The New York Times / Jim Tankersly and Michael Crowley]
• Biden is asking for $20 billion to create a free national vaccination program, $50 billion for testing and the creation of a 100,000 worker-strong public health care force, focusing on overwhelmed areas including tribal lands, prisons, and nursing homes. [CNN / Tami Luhby and Katie Lobosco]
• For direct relief, he is proposing $1,400 direct stimulus payments to bring the total to $2,000 after the $600 payments authorized by Congress last month, fulfilling a Georgia campaign promise. [The Guardian / Maanvi Singh]
• The plan also include $400 weekly unemployment supplements, food and housing assistance, and some bones for progressives, including a $15 federal minimum wage, expanded child tax care credits, and emergency child care funds. [The New York Times / Jeanne Smialek]
• Biden wants $350 billion in funding for localities and states, as well as $50 billion in loans and grants to small businesses. [Vox]
• The final proposal will look different, but don’t expect Democrats to wait long for bipartisan approval. While they will give Republicans an opportunity to negotiate, Democrats want a quick deal and have slim majorities in both chambers to pass it without the GOP. [Politico / Alice Miranda Ollstein and Adam Cancryn]
• In 2008, President Obama kept his stimulus under $1 trillion to try and earn Republican votes and avoid cost criticism. Another recession and a pandemic later, Biden clearly has no such qualms, and faces pressure on his left to go even bigger. [The Washington Post / James Hohmann]
• The urgency around a new relief package is compounded by the worsening state of the pandemic. Thursday saw a new daily record for coronavirus deaths as well as the highest unemployment figures since August. [The Washington Post / Erica Werner and Jeff Stein]