Bipartisan Group Of Lawmakers, Including Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Meet With President Biden On COVID-19 Recovery Plan
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan was among the members of a bipartisan group of lawmakers to meet with President Joe Biden at the White House Friday to talk about the Biden administration's plan to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lawmakers met to go over the American Rescue Plan, which the White House billed last month as "an aggressive, two-step plan for rescue, from the depths of this crisis, and recovery, by investing in America, creating millions of additional good-paying jobs, combatting the climate crisis, advancing racial equity, and building back better than before."
The plan includes a number of goals, including sending $1,400 stimulus checks to Americans and reopening schools safely.
Biden said the most important piece is giving states the capacity to address the virus locally.
"These are the folks that are on the ground dealing with it every single solitary day," Biden said, "and they see the pain and they see the successes when they occur. And what I really want to know about is what should that recovery plan, should we have more or less of anything in it, what do they think they need most, how to proceed."
In a statement following the meeting, Hogan said, "I greatly appreciate the opportunity to be one of the first governors to meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris as we work together to end this horrific pandemic.
The governor also stressed the importance of bipartisanship in passing compromise legislation.
"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. I will continue urging Republicans in Congress to be willing to compromise, and I urge the president to lead by finding the common ground where we can all stand together," he said.
During a news conference Thursday afternoon, Hogan said he has made a number of requests of the federal government, including using the Defense Production Act to make more vaccines. He also said he wants the federal government to coordinate more closely with states about vaccine allocations.
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