CNN TOWN HALL

On Tuesday, February 17th, newly inaugurated President Joe Biden spoke at a CNN Town Hall held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was Biden’s first major public appearance as President of the United States. Here are the most important issues discussed that night:

• Schools - Biden cleared up misconceptions about his plans for reopening schools. Biden himself admitted that the promotion of the plan had become muddled, and then cleared up how he intends to guide the reopening of schools. Biden said he wanted kindergarten through 8th graders to be in school five days a week, even suggesting that schools be open over the summer to make up time lost to the pandemic. He also said that teachers should have a higher priority to be vaccinated, so schools can reopen sooner. 

• The American Recovery Plan - Biden’s landmark 1.9 trillion dollar proposal to provide assistance to Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. The plan includes payments of up to $1,400 to families, money distributed to state and local governments, and increased funding for vaccination distribution. The Town Hall was organized to raise awareness and support for this proposal, which is still being debated in Congress. The White House hopes to sign the proposal into legislation by mid-March, when many of the current unemployment benefits offered will expire. 

• Back to Normal? - Biden wasn’t willing to promise a return to normal life until this upcoming Christmas. He didn’t want to “overpromise”, and only offered Christmas because he believed he could pledge that with a degree of confidence. "As my mother would say,” Biden said, “With the grace of God and the goodwill of the neighbors, that by next Christmas I think we'll be in a very different circumstance, God willing, than we are today.”

• Vaccination - Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible. New coronavirus strains may pose challenges to the effectiveness of current vaccines. To combat that possibility, Biden told Americans to not “wait and see.” 

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