February 14, 2021 ICYMI: Mayors and Governors of Both Parties Across the Country Meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris to Discuss the American Rescue Plan

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 14, 2021   ICYMI: Mayors and Governors of Both Parties Across the Country Meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris to Discuss the American Rescue Plan   Friday, a bipartisan group of mayors and governors met with President Biden and Vice President Harris to discuss the American Rescue Plan and the urgent need for Congress to pass much-needed relief to get American cities and states back on their feet.   See below for excerpts from coverage of the meeting from news outlets around the country:   Santa Fe New Mexican: Lujan Grisham optimistic after meeting with Biden, Harris on COVID-19 relief [Daniel J. Chacón, 2/12/21]   “This is a president and a vice president who, through their staff and directly in that meeting, are very clear that we’re in a federal emergency, both economically and still dealing with the public health component of the emergency with COVID,” the governor said. “They know that they can’t do these things without us, and they want to have every tool and resource available to us to get it done right.”   Albuquerque Journal: After White House meeting, governor sees help on way to NM [Dan Boyd, 2/12/21]   In a telephone interview, the governor said New Mexico would get roughly $2 billion in financial aid – for health care, tribal investments and other programs – under the American Rescue Plan proposed by the Biden administration that would provide a total of $350 billion in direct aid for states and local governments.   “This is a game-changer for us and I made that clear to the president and vice president,” Lujan Grisham told the Journal.   KRQE: Gov. has ‘good conversation’ with President, Vice President on COVID relief [Rachel Knapp, 2/12/21]   “We need economic support and relief and working with congress to make sure to get the $1.9 trillion dollars, you know, as that trickles down to New Mexico,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham in a telephone interview with KRQE. The governor was part of a bipartisan blend of mayors and governors in the Oval Office to discuss the vital need to pass the American Rescue Plan, which is Biden’s proposed 1.9 trillion dollar relief package.   KATV: Gov. Hutchinson meets with President Biden, VP Harris on American Rescue Plan [2/12/21]   The oval office discussion centered around the American Rescue Plan which the White House calls an emergency legislative package to fund vaccinations, provide immediate direct relief to families, and support struggling communities.   "I assured him that the State of Arkansas is really working hard not only on the efficient distribution of the vaccines but also fairness for how that is distributed and we can do it. We are committed to it, we just need the supply. He understands that and so that was a major topic that I raised."   Miami Herald: Mayor tells president in White House summit that Miami is ready for more vaccines [Joey Flechas and Francesca Chambers, 2/12/21]   “I have great hope that we can pass this legislation to benefit not only Miami residents but all of the residents of the United States,” Suarez, who is Cuban American, said in Spanish from the briefing room lectern.   Suarez, elected mayor in 2017, said it was an “incredibly spirited conversation” and called it “wonderfully productive.” He said he has already spoken more to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during their first month in office than he did the Trump administration in its entirety.   Local 10 Miami: Miami Mayor Suarez part of bipartisan meeting with Biden at White House [2/12/21]   Miami Mayor Francis Suarez joined a small group of mayors and governors who met with President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris in the Oval Office on Friday about COVID-19 relief needs. KDFW: Arlington mayor highlights need for city COVID-19 aid during White House meeting [2/12/21]   Williams said during the meeting he highlighted the need for direct financial assistance for cities.   "Cities know where the holes are, where the gaps are and with this direct assistance we have the opportunity to put that money right in the right place to be able to help our businesses, our less fortunate," Williams said.   Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams attends White House meeting on local COVID-19 response [Kailey Broussard, 2/12/21]   President Joe Biden consulted several city and state officials, including Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, in Washington on Friday about how the federal government can best help local COVID-19 response and vaccination rollout.   Biden made the pitch for his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package to a bipartisan group of nine mayors and governors from around the country Friday morning. The most important part of his plan, Biden said in the meeting, is distributing enough vaccine and providing economic aid to states. However, he asked members of the group for their input, as key decision-makers in local response.   The Detroit News: Biden, Duggan in White House meeting talk need for vaccine supply, state and local aid [By Melissa Nann Burke and Christine Ferretti, 2/12/21]   Washington — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan met with President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday among a bipartisan group of governors and mayors discussing the urgency of adopting Biden's economic stimulus plan, which could provide over $10 billion in state and local aid for Michigan if approved.    […]   He said Biden's $1.9 trillion recovery plan would help residents struggling with 20% unemployment or facing eviction and aid for businesses so the city doesn't see the boarded up commercial districts of seven or eight years ago.    […]   "It was a special experience to sit in the Oval Office with four Republican governors and mayors, four Democratic governors and mayors, talking and sometimes debating with the president and the vice president — everybody just focused on how to solve the problem," Duggan told reporters after the meeting.   Detroit Free Press: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan visits White House, voices 'complete confidence' in Biden [By Todd Spangler, 2/12/21]   Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan on Friday joined a bipartisan meeting of mayors and governors with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, saying afterward he has already seen improvements in the number of COVID-19 vaccinations being given in the city and he has "complete confidence" in Biden's response.   "I think they're doing everything they possibly can," Duggan said in the White House Briefing Room following the meeting. He and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican, spoke to the news media and answered a few questions ahead of Press Secretary Jen Psaki's daily briefing with reporters. […]   Duggan, who was an early supporter of Biden's candidacy last year, said he and other elected officials in the meeting on Friday expressed how the federal government can help increase vaccinations and bolster business efforts to reopen.   Baltimore Sun: With Trump gone, Maryland Gov. Hogan becomes one of first governors to attend White House meeting with Biden [By Jeff Barker, 2/12/21]   Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan traveled to the White House for a meeting Friday, something he was loath to do during the administration of former president Donald Trump.   The Republican governor attended an Oval Office session about COVID-19 relief with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and a bipartisan group of other governors and mayors.   Hogan urged the GOP afterward to work with the Democratic Biden administration, which has proposed a $1.9 trillion aid package being considered by Congress.   WBAL-TV 11 (NBC Baltimore): Hogan takes part in White House meeting on COVID-19 [By Deborah Weiner, 2/12/21]   WASHINGTON — Gov. Larry Hogan took part Friday in a bipartisan meeting held at the White House between Democratic and Republican governors and mayors addressing COVID-19.   […]   After the meeting, Hogan issued a statement calling on his Republican colleagues to reach a compromise with the Biden administration to move the relief forward.   The governor's statement reads: "I greatly appreciate the opportunity to be one of the first governors to meet with President Biden and Vice President (Kamala) Harris as we work together to end this horrific pandemic.   "At this time when so many Americans have stopped believing that democracy can work for them, we must show that Republicans and Democrats in Washington can work together to get important things done. We cannot afford another partisan process with one party dictating to the other.   Maryland Matters: Hogan Sees Bipartisanship Hope After Oval Office Meeting on COVID-19 Aid [By Bruce DePuyt, 2/12/21]   Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) participated in an Oval Office meeting with President Biden and a small, bipartisan group of governors and mayors on Friday.  The session, which ran longer than the scheduled hour, came as the White House seeks congressional approval for $350 billion to help states and localities fight COVID-19 — part of Biden’s broader $1.9 trillion relief plan.  […]   In a statement, Hogan, the immediate past chairman of the National Governors Association, did not take a position on the funding, but he called on leaders of the two parties to work together.  “As I told President Biden, there is no reason why he and Republicans in Congress cannot forge a compromise that addresses the nation’s top priorities in this crisis,” he said.