The latest on the Biden presidency

To Senate Minority Whip John Thune, former President Donald Trump’s actions ahead of the deadly Capitol riot are totally indefensible.

“No – not at all,” the No. 2 Republican said when asked if he can defend what Trump did. “The way he handled the post-election, both in terms of his public statements and things that he tried to do to change the outcome, no.”

But like other Republicans, Thune has no clear answer to this key question: What should they do to Trump after he lied to his supporters into thinking the election was stolen, promoted the Jan. 6 rally and urged the demonstrators to go to the Capitol, which they later rampaged in a deadly riot?

“Well, that’s a good question,” said Thune, who faces reelection in South Dakota next year. “One way obviously would be in a court of law.”

As the impeachment trial for Trump gets underway, Senate Republicans are both criticizing Trump without doing anything about his actions, hoping to both put distance between themselves and Trump without casting any votes that could cause a backlash from the former President and his fervent supporters. Many say something should be done about what Trump did – but just not by them.

When asked about Trump’s actions in relation to the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a member of leadership, said: “I’m not going to defend them.”

The rhetoric showcases the split between House and Senate Republicans as the party struggles to find its voice after the tumultuous Trump era. Many House Republicans remain staunch Trump defenders, saying he did nothing wrong and shouldn’t be blamed for the violence that occurred in the Capitol.

“President Trump did not cause the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6,” freshman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the controversial Georgia Republican, told her supporters this week.

A majority of House Republicans backed the efforts to throw out President Biden’s electoral victories in two key states, while just a handful did in the Senate. After House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy walked back his criticism of Trump and made a jaunt to South Florida Wednesday to meet with the former President, he went out of his way to proclaim they were united in their fight to take back the House next year. Back in Washington, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made clear this week he hasn’t spoken to Trump since Dec. 15, and it’s unclear if he ever will again.

Yet with the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting an insurrection facing a sharp backlash from the right, Senate Republicans are well aware that they would face the same fate if they voted to convict next month. And McConnell, who has privately told associates he thinks Trump committed an impeachable offense, refused to say so publicly when CNN asked him on Tuesday – and he later voted with fellow Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on a procedural motion this week aimed at dismissing the trial. 

With the trial set to begin Feb. 9, just five Republicans voted to kill a procedural motion offered by Paul aimed at dismissing the trial on the grounds that it’s unconstitutional. Paul told CNN that he informed the Republican cloakroom the night before the vote about his plans, a move that allowed most Republicans to quickly align themselves behind their message that the Senate had no role in holding a trial once a President has left office. 

The five who voted against Paul’s effort included one who is retiring (Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania), three who either haven’t said if they voted for Trump in November or voted for someone else (Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Ben Sasse of Nebraska) and another who voted to convict Trump in his first impeachment trial (Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah). Several of them argued that there is precedent for the Senate trying former federal office holders, a key point that Democratic impeachment managers plan to make during the trial.

But with that vote, both sides agree there’s virtually no path to the 67 votes needed to convict Trump, and also bar him from office, given that Democrats hold just 50 seats in the chamber.

Asked then what Republicans should do about it, Cassidy said: “There is something in our nation called due process and there are things called kangaroo courts. We don’t need a kangaroo court.” 

Indiana Sen. Mike Braun initially signed onto objecting to Arizona’s electoral results but then dropped that effort after the rioters broke into the Capitol. Yet, he also is doing the Senate GOP dance: Criticizing Trump while indicating he won’t convict.

“I think most would have a lot of trouble saying there was no connection” between Trump’s actions and the deadly violence, Braun said. But the Indiana Republican contended he was worried about convicting someone no longer in office. “To me, it’s a terrible precedent to set. He’s not here, he’s a private citizen.”

Asked how they should hold Trump accountable now, Braun said: “I think he’s going to be held accountable in the way that people sort him out with whatever he intends to do in the future.”

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee told CNN today Democrats want to work with Republicans on the next round of stimulus for Americans suffering from the Covid-19 crisis, but suggested they are willing to forge ahead without bipartisan support if necessary.

“People are hurting all over America,” she added. “They are hurting with different economic levels.”

The Texas Democrat also addressed concerns that President Biden’s administration has moved too quickly to unilaterally issue executive orders, saying “Republicans have to understand that elections have consequences.”

“We’re ready to work with Republicans but we’ve got to get the job done,” she concluded, speaking of both stimulus negations and Biden’s executive orders.

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06:33 - Source: cnn

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Friday ratifying the extension of the New START Treaty with the US for five years until Feb. 5, 2026, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The treaty is a key nuclear arms control agreement, the last major pact of its kind between Russia and the US, following the US pulling out of the INF treaty during the Trump administration. 

Some background: Putin and President Biden spoke on the phone on Tuesday expressing “satisfaction” over the exchange of diplomatic notes between both countries on extending the treaty. A bill was submitted on the same day of the phone call to Russia’s Parliament on ratifying the agreement on extending the treaty for five years, due to expire next week. 

The Russian parliament voted to ratify the extension on Wednesday. The treaty was first signed for a period of ten years in Prague on April 8, 2010, and took effect on Feb. 5, 2011.

The treaty limits the number of “strategic offensive weapons” both countries can have. The Kremlin’s statement outlines the limitations, each side should have no more than a total of 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and heavy bombers, no more than 1,550 warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs and heavy bombers for nuclear armaments and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and heavy bombers.

Organizers of a staff-led letter being drafted to send to senators urging them to vote to convict former President Trump have changed the opening lines of the letter to try to appeal to more Republican staffers and make them more comfortable to signing on. The Senate impeachment trial is set to begin Feb. 9.

There are currently approximately 250 signatures on the letter, which an organizer confirmed was “predominantly” Democratic staffers.

The new opening lines of the letter, which also addresses the Senate staffers starting to sign on, reads, “we write this letter to share our own views and experiences, not the views of our employers.”

A staffer familiar with the organizing of the letter explained why that line was added into the latest draft.

The staffer involved in the letter’s organizing also told CNN that making this available to both chambers would also ideally help encourage Republican staffers to sign on.

“This letter has made its way to both chambers. We’re hoping that empowers staff of both sides of the aisle to sign on because the trauma knows no bounds to what happened. And the only way move forward is if it is viewed through that lens and there is accountability. And there is an opportunity for there to be accountability here.”

On the reason why Senate staffers were added as co-signers of the letter, the staffer familiar told CNN, “it was noticeable that Senate staff started to sign on, so organizers of the letter changed the language to reflect that.”

The rest of the letter remains the same as the first draft that CNN initially reported on.

Before leaving for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center today, President Biden told reporters he planned to visit wounded veterans and see Covid-19 vaccine distribution in action.  

“I’ve been at Walter Reed a lot,” Biden said. “I spent almost 6 months there myself as a patient, and in addition to that, as Vice President, every single Christmas we spent all of Christmas Day at Walter Reed.”

The President’s late son Beau Biden was treated for cancer at Walter Reed before he died in 2015. 

“These kids are amazing,” he said of the patients at the military medical center. “Thank God there’s not as many people to visit, so I’ll the people I’m seeing today who are being treated, four of them amputees, are people who are in fact retired.”

“They’re real heroes,” he added. 

President Joe Biden said his Covid-19 stimulus bill needs to pass with no “ifs, ands or buts” when asked whether he supported using reconciliation to pass the bill. 

Biden wouldn’t directly answer the question of reconciliation, which is an arcane budget process that would allow the bill to pass with a simple majority of Democrats, but he made his position fairly clear-answering, “I support passing Covid relief with support from Republicans if we can get it. But the Covid relief has to pass. There’s no ifs, ands or buts.”

Senate Democrats are staring down a massive undertaking as they plan to push ahead with reconciliation, a process that will be an early test of party unity even if it allows them to pass a $1.9 trillion Covid relief proposal without any Republican votes.

New Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has absolutely no room for error and he must convince every single Democrat to vote together or risk letting Biden’s first legislative priority falter under his leadership.

The House and Senate could move as soon as next week on a budget resolution that gives committees instructions to begin work on the $1.9 trillion relief bill.

While not every Democrat has publicly voiced how they would vote on the resolution and the price tag of the bill is still up for debate, many have said they are comfortable taking that first step even if they have concerns about what will ultimately end up being included in a package.

A federal judge in Texas said Friday he’ll likely extend his hold on the Biden administration’s deportation moratorium for another two weeks.

Earlier this week, Judge Drew Tipton of the Southern District of Texas, a Trump appointee, blocked the administration’s 100-day pause on deportations, delivering a blow to one of President Biden’s first immigration actions.

The temporary restraining order, Tipton argued, was appropriate under the Administrative Procedure Act. He also found that Texas could be harmed if the moratorium were to continue.

Tipton initially blocked the Biden administration from executing its deportation pause for 14 days.

But during a status conference on Friday, Tipton suggested he’d extend his block, as the case proceeds until Feb. 23. The Justice Department could appeal the temporary restraining order, but didn’t indicate Friday whether it intended to do so.

The Biden administration has tapped Robert Malley, a progressive foreign policy expert who served on the Obama administration’s negotiating team for the Iran nuclear deal, as its new top envoy for Iran.

In a harbinger of the fight the administration is likely to face over Iran, Malley’s appointment was preceded by attacks from conservative lawmakers and Iran hawks. A contingent of progressive think tankers and NGO officials and government alumni released a statement in support of Malley in response to the criticism.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that on Iran, Secretary of State Antony Blinken “is building a dedicated team, drawing from clear-eyed experts with a diversity of views.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki also confirmed Malley’s appointment during a briefing Friday.

Malley will face the challenges of confronting a Tehran that increasingly breached its commitments under the landmark 2015 nuclear deal during the four years of the Trump administration. The prior administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign saw it abandon the nuclear deal and pursue a policy of sanctions aimed at crushing the regime.

Senate Democrats are staring down a massive undertaking as they plan to push ahead with reconciliation, a process that will be an early test of party unity even if it allows them to pass a $1.9 trillion Covid relief proposal without any Republican votes.

New Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has absolutely no room for error and he must convince every single Democrat to vote together or risk letting Biden’s first legislative priority falter under his leadership.

The House and Senate could move as soon as next week on a budget resolution that gives committees instructions to begin work on the $1.9 trillion relief bill. 

While not every Democrat has publicly voiced how they would vote on the resolution and the price tag of the bill is still up for debate, many have said they are comfortable taking that first step even if they have concerns about what will ultimately end up being included in a package.

What comes next: The process of writing the bill is set to begin the week of Feb. 8 and span at least eight committees across the Capitol. House Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal told CNN that his committee will be working in consultation with the Senate’s Finance Committee, but the massive process will also require work from the House and Senate committees on small business, Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions, House Labor and House Energy and Commerce as well as Senate Banking.

“It is going to be an ongoing challenge,” Neal said.

Those committees will also have to meet very specific and technical requirements so that the legislation can survive a review by the Senate parliamentarian. It could take weeks to finalize language and win support within the Democratic caucus.

In the House, the margin for error is also small. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would only be able to lose a handful of votes both on the budget resolution and the final bill. While the expectation is the budget resolution passes easily, factions of her caucus are already laying down markers of what they think the package should ultimately look like. 

President Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday that “at the end of the day, right now, the most profound national security challenge facing the United States is getting our own house in order, is domestic renewal.”

He described the notion “that foreign policy is domestic policy and domestic policy is foreign policy,” and said that has shaped the Biden administration’s approach to dealing with the pressing issues at home and abroad.

Sullivan said that following domestic renewal, the focus would be on “investment in allies and really trying to reinvigorate our alliances, but not return them to the way they were before.”

“Rather, think about how we modernize those alliances to deal with the threats of the future,” Sullivan said. “It’s reestablishing our place in critical international institutions from the Paris Climate accord to the World Health Organization and beyond. And then it’s speaking clearly and consistently about our values, but in a way that actually is consistent with living on our values here at home as well.”

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris just received an economic briefing from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in the Oval Office.

The briefing comes as the country continues to battle the impacts of the pandemic and Biden aims to pass a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal in Congress.

The President used today’s briefing to stress the urgency of passing his bill.

“The notion here is, that we have to act now. There is no time for any delay,” Biden added, as he read from prepared remarks, going on to cite data on jobs, wages, and the potential impact of students missing in-person schooling.

“The choice couldn’t be clearer. We have learned from past crises the risk is not doing too much, the risk is not doing enough. And this is a time to act now,” Biden said.

Yellen reiterated Biden’s urgency, citing the “huge amount of pain in our economy right now,”evidenced in yesterday’s economic numbers.

“Economists agree, that if there is not more help, many more people will lose their small businesses, roofs over their heads and the ability to feed their families. And we need to help those people before the virus is brought under control,” Yellen said. “The President’s American rescue plan will help millions of people make it to the other side of this pandemic. And it will also make some smart investments to get our economy back on track.”

Yellen added that the “benefits of acting now and acting big” will far outweigh “the costs in the long run.”

Some background: Another 847,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Department of Labor. It was a decrease from the 914,000 claims in the week before.

On top of that, 426,856 workers filed for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a program designed to provide aid to those not eligible for regular state benefits, such as gig workers. PUA claims are not adjusted for seasonal swings.

Together, first-time claims stood at 1.3 million without seasonal adjustments.

With 50 Senate seats in a body where 60 votes are needed to advance legislation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer needs GOP backing to get most bills through the chamber.

And he needs the backing of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on a power-sharing agreement that will detail the committee ratios and officially allow the chamber to officially organize. Otherwise, Republicans could block the power-sharing resolution since it would need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

Until Schumer reaches a deal with McConnell on the power-sharing agreement, the committees cannot officially organize and Republicans will maintain their chairmanships since they are operating under the rules of the last Congress when Senate Republicans controlled the majority.

Democratic and Republican sources say a deal between the two leaders is very close and will likely be finalized next week. The holdup has been around very in-the-weeds procedural matters, but the leadership is confident that this will be sorted out and the Senate will approve the power sharing agreement next week.

This came after McConnell set aside his demand that Schumer affirm he wouldn’t touch the filibuster in this Congress, with the GOP leader saying he was instead satisfied that two moderate Democrats  — Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin  — would keep the threshold to overcome the filibuster at a 60-vote threshold. They still need to iron out other details in the agreement.

In the meantime, the Senate has confirmed some of Biden’s nominees, while others are awaiting action. Biden’s nominee for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be confirmed Monday after overcoming a GOP filibuster yesterday. Others have gone slower — such as Merrick Garland to be attorney general who hasn’t had a confirmation hearing yet because Democrats want the power-sharing agreement approved so they will be able to chair the committee and run the proceedings.

The Democratic leadership is setting its sights on February to be the key month to move on on Biden’s Covid-19 relief. Next week, the House and Senate are expected to take up a budget resolution that will instruct key congressional committees to draft “reconciliation” legislation. The budget resolution is just an overall blueprint and it’s non-binding. But it must be adopted by both chambers first before the reconciliation bill can be drafted.

Given the inability to cut a bipartisan deal, the reconciliation bill is expected to include $1.9 trillion in Covid-19 relief. And under Senate rules, the reconciliation bill cannot be filibustered, and thus can be approved with 51 votes in the Senate. Senate votes over the reconciliation bill aren’t expected until the end of February or early March.

The 8 Republican members of the bipartisan group of 16 senators working on the Covid-19 relief bill is meeting this afternoon via video chat to discuss the bill, according to a source familiar.

The group previously met with the White House on Sunday to discuss President Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package.

The House and Senate could move as soon as next week on a budget resolution that gives committees instructions to begin work on the relief bill. While not every Democrat has publicly voiced how they would vote on the resolution and the price tag of the bill is still up for debate, many have said they are comfortable taking that first step even if they have concerns about what will ultimately end up being included in a package.

Update: This post has been updated to reflect that it is the the GOP members of this group that will be meeting, not the full group.

President Biden is going to take “creative steps” to drum up support for this $1.9 trillion Covid relief package amid the pandemic, including local media and engaging with state and local officials on the matter.

She continued, “We’re having to take a number of creative steps to do that, whether that’s direct television or local media or from the President, the Vice President and others were doing that, whether it’s engaging with governors and local elected officials to ensure that we’re answering all of the questions they have.”

The White House has to take “creative steps a little outside of the box,” though Biden’s preference would “certainly” be to be traveling, she added.

Pressed by CNN’s Jeremy Diamond on why he isn’t traveling, given that he’s received the vaccine and he criss-crossed the country in during the campaign, Psaki said, “It’s also about keeping the public safe. And we’re not going to do a rally with 20,000 people,” later adding that they “may travel” in the future.

Psaki also tied the success of Biden’s goal to reopen most schools in his first 100 days directly to the quick passage of their proposed Covid bill, when asked about Dr. Fauci’s comments that cautioned reopening most schools in the first 100 days of this administration “may not happen.”

Psaki said that Biden would follow the science and not do anything to endanger teachers, students and school districts.

“The President wants to not only reopen schools, he wants the schools to stay open. But does rely on the guidance of his health and medical experts. And obviously he’s not going to do anything that is not safe and doesn’t keep, teachers, students, and our school districts, safe,” Psaki said.

She then argued that the key to achieving this goal is school districts to get clear steps on how to reopen but also funding from Congress, through their American Rescue Plan now being negotiated and publicly pushed by the White House.

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00:54 - Source: cnn

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday said the work to push President Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 rescue package through Congress has “continued and accelerated,” and outlined several of the Biden administration’s upcoming meetings to move the package forward.

“From the President and the Vice President on down, that work has continued and accelerated,” Psaki said at a White House briefing.

“These conversations are critical to building support and moving the President’s bill forward,” Psaki said. 

She added, “Yesterday, senior staff spoke again to governors about the challenges they are facing and the importance of relief.”

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01:28 - Source: cnn

White House press secretary Jen Psaki outlined President Biden’s plans for next week, which include meetings and executive actions.

Here’s a look at what is expected to be on the schedule:

She said there would be more information in the coming days.

Psaki said the White House is “venturing” to provide this information to reporters going forward, resuming a practice that ended during the Trump administration.

Biden was expected to tackle immigration today, but Psaki said yesterday that the actions would be pushed to next week.

With about 10 days until his second impeachment trial is set to begin, former President Donald Trump added three additional criminal defense lawyers to bring the current team to five attorneys. 

Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris, two prominent South Carolina defense lawyers, have agreed to defend Trump along with Joshua Howard, a North Carolina defense lawyer. 

“We’re on the team,” Harris confirmed to CNN Friday. CNN previously reported that Gasser and Harris, law firm partners, had been approached. Harris confirmed the legal team is now five attorneys but declined to comment on whether they will add additional lawyers.

Harris referred questions to Butch Bowers, the South Carolina lawyer who is spearheading the defense. 

“He’s putting it together. He’s making assignments,” Harris said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Howard disclosed in a court filing that he had joined Trump’s defense, asking a judge to postpone an arraignment citing his need to be in Washington for the foreseeable future. 

 “Counsel for the defendant has accepted a position on the defense team handling the pending impeachment trial of former President Trump before the United States Senate. As such, counsel is obliged to spend roughly then next month in Washington, DC focused entirely and exclusively on the matter of historical and Constitutional significance,” he wrote. 

Howard and Gasser could not immediately be reached for comment. 

Deborah Barbier, a South Carolina litigator, joined the team earlier this week. She has worked closely on several high-profile cases with Harris and Gasser. All three are former federal prosecutors. Gasser served as the interim US attorney for South Carolina earlier in this career. 

President Biden focused on health care yesterday, and reopened enrollment on the federal Affordable Care Act exchanges as part of two health care executive actions he signed.

He was expected to focus on immigration today, but White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during yesterday’s press briefing that the President’s actions on immigration are being pushed back to next week.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are slated to receive an economic briefing from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen today, as the Biden administration continues to push for a bipartisan Covid-19 relief package and battle the economic ramifications of the pandemic.

Yellen was confirmed earlier this week by Congress, and is the first woman in American history to hold the position.

Here’s a look at the key White House events to watch today:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly news conference on January 28.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday that she’s committed to addressing the concerns of her colleagues over security but said that effort is hampered because “the enemy is within the House of Representatives,” referencing the rhetoric and behavior of some Republican members of Congress.

Pelosi was asked about how members are concerned for their own security in the wake of the Capitol attack and violent rhetoric from other members, following a letter more than 30 lawmakers signed asking for more flexibility regarding the use of congressional allowance for personal security in their home districts and other security related requests.

Pelosi also cited a security review currently being conducted by retired Lt. General Russel Honoré, with whom she met on Thursday to receive an initial assessment.

When pressed by reporters about what she meant by that comment, Pelosi said, “it means that we have members of Congress who want to bring guns on the floor and have threatened violence on other members of Congress.”

Pelosi did not clarify which lawmakers she was referencing. US Capitol Police had investigated an incident in which a Republican lawmaker was stopped from bringing a concealed gun onto the House floor last week, sources told CNN, the first time a member of Congress has been discovered with a firearm by the metal detectors now set up outside the legislative chamber.

In response to the letter requesting additional resources and flexibility for security, Pelosi said Thursday the concerns in a letter from lawmakers requesting more flexibility for using their congressional allowances has already been addressed.

The developments come as President Biden continues to pursue a bipartisan deal over his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal. Now that Democrats control both chambers and the White House, Biden is pushing for the big steps he says are needed to address immediate needs and control the coronavirus pandemic. He also plans to lay out an economic recovery plan in coming weeks that aims to create jobs and combat the climate crisis, among other measures.

White House officials privately acknowledge, however, the bill will need to be pared down to secure Republican support after GOP lawmakers balked at the price tag.

People with appointments wait in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a walk-up public health vaccination site on Tuesday, January 26, in Los Angeles.

President Biden is continuing to chase a bipartisan deal over his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal, but White House officials privately acknowledge the bill will need to be pared down to secure Republican support after GOP lawmakers balked at the price tag.

It’s not clear how much the White House will be willing to lower the price tag and whether that will be enough to secure Republican support. And even as they acknowledge that reality, Biden administration officials and congressional Democrats are increasingly skeptical a bipartisan deal can be reached.

Several key Republican senators are also raising questions about whether the White House is serious about a bipartisan deal.

Biden has repeatedly said a bipartisan deal is his preference, but his aides have also stressed the urgent need for economic relief and the new Democratic majority in the Senate is considering a rare procedural tactic known as reconciliation to jam major parts of the legislation through along party lines.

Sources said the reality of the White House’s economic team and congressional Democrats pressing for speed and scale has started to settle in on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Here’s a look at some key items proposed in Biden’s rescue package:

Beefed-up stimulus payments: The plan calls for sending another $1,400 per person to eligible recipients. This money would be in addition to the $600 payments that were approved by Congress in December and sent out earlier this month — for a total of $2,000.

The new payments would go to adult dependents that were left out of the earlier rounds, like some children over the age of 17. It would also include households with mixed immigration status, after the first round of $1,200 checks left out the spouses of undocumented immigrants who do not have Social Security Numbers.

Enhanced unemployment aid: Biden would increase the federal boost the jobless receive to $400 a week, from the $300 weekly enhancement contained in Congress’ relief package from December. He would also extend the payments, along with two key pandemic unemployment programs, through September. This applies to those in the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program who have exhausted their regular state jobless payments and in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provides benefits to the self-employed, independent contractors, gig workers and certain people affected by the pandemic.

Lawmakers only provided an additional 11 weeks of support in the December package, which will last until March.

Rental assistance and eviction moratorium: The plan would provide $25 billion in rental assistance for low- and moderate-income households who have lost jobs during the pandemic. That’s in addition to the $25 billion lawmakers provided in December.

Another $5 billion would be set aside to help struggling renters to pay their utility bills. Biden is also calling for $5 billion to help states and localities assist those at risk of experiencing homelessness.

The plan would extend the federal eviction moratorium, set to expire at the end of January, to Sept. 30, as well as allow people with federally-guaranteed mortgages to apply for forbearance until Sept. 30.