Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a cross-country stimulus package tour stop at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, Monday, March 15, 2021.
Published Monday, March 15, 2021 | 8:36 a.m.
Updated Monday, March 15, 2021 | 5:07 p.m.
Vice President Kamala Harris described the cross-country tour she kicked off today in Las Vegas not as touting the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, but explaining it so people know what they are entitled to under the historic pandemic relief act.
That includes, but isn’t limited to: direct individual cash payments of $1,400, worth up to $5,600 for a married couple with two children; expanded unemployment benefits from the federal government extended until September at $300 a week; fully subsidized COBRA health insurance premiums to keep laid-off workers on their employer health plans at no cost through the end of September; and expanded child tax credits, which could help reduce the number of children living in poverty by more than half — in Nevada, that means some 40,000 kids, Harris said.
And, she said the plan, which President Joe Biden signed last week, shows the distinction between charity and duty.
Charity is giving a little extra now and then. Duty is a deeper responsibility to help others in times of need with their dignity in mind.
“This is supposed to be the job of your government, which is when you’re suffering, when you need a helping hand, when you need a little assistance to just get over a moment of crisis you didn’t create,” Harris told staffers at the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, in a ballroom that had been converted into an assembly line for packing emergency food boxes. “That’s when leaders are supposed to kick in to say, ‘I’m here, I see you and I will help you.’”
Las Vegas was a dubiously ideal first stop on Harris’ tour promoting the stimulus package to help the country climb out of the economic crater caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Nevada has been one of the hardest-hit states economically, with unemployment soaring to a record 28.2% in April as business shutdowns shattered the gaming and hospitality industries. At the culinary training facility in North Las Vegas, Harris spoke with workers and union representatives about how they’ll continue toward the other side of the pandemic hump — which still carries anxieties about whether everyone who was laid off will be rehired.
COVID-19 also exposed weaknesses in Nevada’s hospital infrastructure. The state borrowed 50 ventilators from California in the pandemic’s early days to augment the fewer than 720 it had statewide to mechanically help the most critically ill coronavirus patients breathe.
Harris, Biden, their spouses and allies are criss-crossing the country this week to promote the relief plan in a roadshow the White House has dubbed the “Help is Here” tour.
Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, who worked as chief executive of the Culinary Academy prior to becoming a Nevada congressman, introduced Harris before a backdrop of fresh produce stacked on pallets and dry pinto beans scattered on the floor.
“We are going to crush this virus with the help of the American Rescue Plan and we are going to build back better, and it’s with Vice President Harris,” he said.
Vegas was Harris’ first domestic destination as vice president in addition to being the first leg of her stimulus explainer tour, and also included a stop at the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at UNLV. Her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, met with a food relief organization in town. The couple planned to head to Los Angeles later in the day.
Gov. Steve Sisolak joined Harris and Emhoff at UNLV.
“With the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan, we know that even more help is on the way for Nevadans – including increased funding to help us put shots into arms even faster and more efficiently, all while ensuring that we are keeping access and equity at the forefront,” Sisolak said in a statement. “Together, we will continue to work with our federal and local partners to slow the spread of COVID-19 and help get our economy back on track.”
The stops at vaccination sites, businesses and schools are meant to educate the public about different aspects of the giant American Rescue Plan and how it will help people get to the other side of the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden has said President Barack Obama’s administration, in which Biden was vice president, failed to adequately educate the public about the benefits of its economic recovery plan during the recession. He said he wants to do a better sales job this time around on the details of his first big legislative victory.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
