-A growing number of top economists has shown
even our debt situation will be more stable,
not less stable,
if we seize this moment with vision and purpose.
And so, tonight,
I'd like to talk to you about our way forward,
a two-step plan of rescue and recovery,
a two-step plan to build a bridge
to the other side of the crisis
we face to a better, stronger, more secure America.
Tonight, I'll lay out my first step,
the American Rescue Plan, that will tackle the pandemic
and get direct financial assistance
and relief to Americans who need it the most.
I will lay out our vaccination plan to correct course
and meet our goal of 100 million shots
at the end of my first 100 days as President.
This will be one of the most challenging operational efforts
we have ever undertaken as a nation.
We'll have to move heaven and Earth
to get more people vaccinated,
to create more places for them to get vaccinated,
to mobilize more medical teams to get shots in people's arms,
to increase vaccine supply,
and to get it out the door as fast as possible.
We'll also do everything we can to keep our educators
and students safe,
to safely reopen a majority of our "K"-through-8 schools
by the end of the first 100 days.
We need to make sure that workers who have
COVID-19 symptoms are quarantined,
and those who need to take care of their family members
with COVID-19 symptoms
should be able to stay home from work and still get paid.
This will reduce the spread of the virus
and make sure workers get the support they need
to maintain their families.
Our rescue plan also includes immediate relief to Americans
hardest hit and most in need.
We will finish the job of getting a total of $2,000
in cash relief to people who need it the most.
The $600 already appropriated is simply not enough
if you just have to choose between paying rent
and putting food on the table.
We'll also provide more peace of mind for struggling families
by extending unemployment insurance
beyond the end of March for millions of workers.
That means that 18 million Americans currently
relying on unemployment benefits while they look for work
can count on these checks continuing to be there.
Plus, there will be a $400-per-week supplement
so people can make ends meet.
One in seven households in America,
more than one in five Black and Latino households in America
report they don't have enough food to eat.
This includes 30 million adults
and as many as 12 million children.
It's wrong.
It's tragic.
It's unnecessary.
It's unacceptable.
So we're gonna extend emergency nutritional assistance
for 43 million children
and their families enrolled in the SNAP program
through the rest of this year.
Approximately 14 million Americans
have fallen behind on rent,
many at risk of eviction.
If we don't act now, there will be
a wave of evictions and foreclosures
in the coming months as the pandemic rages on.
This would overwhelm emergency shelters,
increase COVID-19 infections as people have nowhere to go
and can't socially distance.
Next week, we'll take action to extend nationwide
restrictions on evictions and foreclosures.
Our rescue plan will provide flexible grants
to help those hardest-hit small businesses
survive the pandemic and the low-cost capital
that will help entrepreneurs of all backgrounds
create and maintain jobs,
plus provide the essential goods and services
that communities depend upon.
Direct cash payments.
Extended unemployment insurance.
Rent relief. Food assistance.
Keeping essential frontline workers on the job.
Aid to small businesses.
These are the key elements to the American Rescue Plan
that would lift 12 million Americans out of poverty
and cut child poverty in half.
Now, I know what I just described does not come cheaply,
but failure to do so will cost us dearly.
The consensus among leading economists
is we simply cannot afford not to do what I'm proposing.
Independent, respected institutions
from around the world from the Federal Reserve
to the International Monetary Fund
have underscored the urgency.
Even Wall Street firms have reinforced the logic.
If we invest now, boldly, smartly,
and with unwavering focus on American workers and families,
we will strengthen our economy, reduce inequity,
and put our nation's long-term finances
on the most sustainable course.
So, come Wednesday, we begin a new chapter.
The vice president-elect and I will do our best to meet
all the expectations you have for the country
and the expectations we have for it.
I'm confident.
I am truly confident together,
together we can get this done and come out better off
than when we went into this crisis.
God bless you all, and may God protect our troops.