White House plans PR blitz to sell coronavirus relief bill
By Morgan Chalfant and Brett Samuels - 03/12/21 05:00 PM EST The White House is mounting an all-out push to sell President Biden’s newly signed coronavirus relief bill to the public, starting with trips to multiple states in the coming week.
A key facet of the strategy will be to highlight components of the measure that impact Americans directly, like the $1,400 stimulus payments.
The White House is also trying to underscore the broad bipartisan support among voters for the legislation, even though it received no votes from Republicans, who consistently called the $1.9 trillion package partisan and too expensive.
Administration officials say Democrats fell short during the Obama era of selling the 2009 economic recovery bill. Whether Democrats can maintain popularity for the newly enacted COVID-19 relief bill will play a key role in determining the party’s fortunes in the 2022 elections.
The public relations push coincides with an effort by the administration to get financial assistance out the door as quickly as possible. The White House says eligible Americans will begin receiving direct payments this weekend, though other stimulus funds are expected to take longer to allocate.
“It’s one thing to pass the American Rescue Plan. It’s going to be another thing to implement it. It’s going to require fastidious oversight to make sure there is no waste or fraud and the law does what it’s designed to do,†Biden said at a Rose Garden event on Friday.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/543002-white-house-plans-pr-blitz-to-sell-coronavirus-relief-bill
