这是乔·拜登总统和副总统贺锦丽执政的第41天。
拜登对德克萨斯州、流行病
针对德克萨斯州从最近的冬季风暴中恢复的努力和全国从冠状病毒大流行周五晚上，乔·拜登总统发出了团结的信息，呼吁全国人民抛开党派偏见，专注于共同的事业。
“当一场危机像袭击德克萨斯州那样袭击我们的州时，受伤的不是共和党人或民主党人，而是我们的美国同胞，帮助每个有需要的人是我们的工作。互相照顾，不要落下任何人。这就是我们今天在访问中看到的，”拜登在休斯顿一个大规模疫苗接种点外的停车场对一群人说。
曼德尔·颜/法新社通过盖蒂图像
乔·拜登总统在2007年参观了位于国家生殖健康中心体育场的新冠肺炎联邦应急管理局疫苗接种设施后发表讲话
他向德克萨斯州人民承诺，联邦政府不会在漫长的复苏之路上退缩:“我们将成为真正的伙伴，帮助你们从风暴、这场流行病和经济危机中恢复和重建。我们将面临长期挑战。”
谈到大流行的话题，拜登称赞了疫苗接种的进展——特别是指食品和药物管理局的咨询小组推荐授权强生疫苗。
“太不可思议了。精确度、安全性、自豪感、目标感，每个人都参与其中。我们都看过关于强生疫苗的新闻，今天的，只是——第三种安全有效的疫苗。它出来了。这是——他们今天已经批准了，”他说。
总统呼吁将政治从这场流行病中剔除，称它应该团结而不是分裂国家。
“这种病毒没有党派之分。我们让病毒把我们分开太久了。我今天会见了州长[格雷格]艾伯特，参议员[约翰]科宁，保守派共和党人。我是民主党总统，”他说。“我们在很多事情上存在分歧，这没什么错，但有很多事情我们可以一起努力。其中之一就是今天在这里的代表——加快疫苗接种的努力。”
“我们不会给民主党人或共和党人机会。我再说一遍，我们是在给美国人打针，”他补充道。
共和党人在一年前抨击这个想法后，通过代理人投票
共和党众议员特德·巴德(Ted Budd)去年夏天向民主党人传达了一个关于他们在大流行期间建立的代理投票系统的信息:这是一个“违宪的计划”。
“如果你用南希·佩洛西的代理人来逃避工作，你就不应该得到报酬。就这么简单，”他在6月30日的脸书视频中介绍了他的新法案，拒绝会员支付代理投票。
埃文·武奇/美联社，档案
唐纳德·特朗普总统抵达夏洛特道后与共和党众议员特德·巴德握手
巴德并不是唯一一个这样做的人:一些之前批评代理投票制度的众议院共和党人提交了信件，让同事们为他们投票，而他们原本计划在CPAC露面。
北卡罗来纳州大学新生代表麦迪逊·卡沃恩(Madison Cawthorn)去年夏天在推特上表示，领导人“无论时代如何不确定，都会出现”，民主党人是“隐藏和代理投票的懦夫”。
他周五也在奥兰多，告诉保守派活动家，“如果我们袖手旁观，我们将没有一个国家可以继承。”
“如果我们不参与进来，说确保我们的国家负责任是我们的责任，我们的国家不会剥夺我们的自由，那么我的朋友们，我们将失去这个国家，”卡霍恩说。
其他计划于周五出现在CPAC的共和党人也计划通过代理投票，包括佛罗里达州的众议员格雷格·斯泰贝(Greg Steube)、北卡罗来纳州的弗吉尼亚·福克斯(Virginia Foxx)和佛罗里达州的马特·盖兹(Matt Gaetz)，他是首批支持代理投票的共和党人之一。
巴德的发言人柯蒂斯·卡琳说，这位国会议员仍然反对代理投票，鉴于他去年的法案《代理投票不付费法案》，他将把使用该系统的那几天的工资捐给餐馆救济基金
出席CPAC会议的共和党人并不是唯一一个对代理投票制度有疑问的人。代理投票制度是由众议院议长南希·佩洛西去年在加州建立的，目的是减少国会议员在2010年期间前往华盛顿的旅行新冠肺炎大流行。
去年，亚利桑那州众议员格雷格·斯坦顿(Greg Stanton)在一次前往犹他州的家庭旅行中，在交通委员会听证会上投票时被抓到。斯坦顿后来道歉说他“搞砸了”。去年5月，几位众议院民主党人通过代理投票，参加了佛罗里达州的SpaceX火箭发射。
拜登说休斯顿食品银行“不可思议”
拜登访问得克萨斯州的第二站，拜登、第一夫人吉尔·拜登和休斯顿粮食银行首席执行官布赖恩·格林参观了粮食银行，第一夫人周五已经在那里做了志愿者。
在参观过程中，拜登一家去了一个有旋转搁板的房间，那里有几盒食物，叫做旋转木马室。
拜登还花时间四处走动，与志愿者交谈，甚至与一些人自拍。当被媒体问及他对这个地方的看法时，他说:“太棒了，太棒了。"
曼德尔·颜/法新社通过盖蒂图像
美国总统乔·拜登和第一夫人吉尔·拜登与休斯顿食品银行首席执行官布赖恩·格林一起访问
“太不可思议了!这是一个令人难以置信的地方。他们有一个-他们有这么多有才华的人在这里。不仅仅是志愿者，他们是真正有才华的人，你知道，他们在来到这里之前在外面做了很多工作。”
周五早些时候，拜登参观了休斯顿的哈里斯县紧急行动中心。
第一夫人参观休斯顿食品银行
根据一份泳池报告，第一夫人吉尔·拜登和德克萨斯州第一夫人塞西莉亚·艾伯特于周五下午1点左右抵达休斯顿食品银行。
拜登和艾伯特首先在主大厅停留了几分钟，并从该组织的首席影响官妮可·兰德(Nicole Lander)那里收到了食品银行的食品分发流程概要。兰德尔告诉第一夫人，在灾难发生时，食品银行每月平均分发1800万磅食品，相当于20辆拖车。兰德尔还指出，根据该报告，休斯顿地区每四名儿童中就有一名无法持续获得营养食品。
拜登和艾伯特随后搬到了一个仓库房间，与志愿者一起为食品银行的背包伙伴计划打包食品。该计划在周末向一周内依赖学校膳食的学生分发食品。
拜登装的是桃子罐头，雅培装的是一盒盒葡萄干。
根据泳池报告，休斯顿独立学区临时督学格莱尼塔·拉桑也加入了他们的行列。
一份单独的综合报告称，在第一站之后，拜登和艾伯特搬到了一个单独的房间，通过食品银行的老年箱计划为老年人打包食物。该计划由美国农业部资助，每月向休斯顿地区大约11000名低收入老年人提供一箱食物。
拜登把速食燕麦装进盒子里。艾伯特还戴着印有德克萨斯州国旗的口罩，在附近帮忙打包食品。
Biden's 1st 100 days live updates: Biden offers unifying words on Texas, pandemic
This is Day 41 of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden offers unifying words on Texas, pandemic
Addressing Texas’ effort to recover from the recent winter storm and the nation’s effort to recover from thecoronavirus pandemic, President Joe Biden offered a message of unity Friday night in calling on the nation to put aside partisanship and instead focus on working toward a common cause.
"When a crisis hits our states like the one to hit Texas, it's not a Republican or Democrat that’s hurting, it's our fellow Americans who are hurting, and it's our job to help everyone in need. Look out for one another, leave nobody behind. That's what we've seen today in our visit," Biden said, addressing a group in a parking lot outside a mass vaccination site in Houston.
He committed to the people of Texas that the federal government will not turn its back in the long road to recovery: "We will be true partners to help you recover and rebuild from the storms and this pandemic and the economic crisis. We're in for the long haul."
Turning to the topic of the pandemic, Biden applauded the progress on vaccinations -- specifically pointing to the Food and Drug Administration's advisory panelrecommending authorizationof the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
"It's incredible. The precision, the safety, the pride, the sense of purpose, everyone involved at that facility. And we've all seen the news about Johnson & Johnson vaccine, today’s, just -- the third safe, effective vaccine. And it's out. It’s -- They've approved it today,” he said.
The president made a plea for taking politics out of the pandemic, saying it should unite and not divide the nation.
"There is nothing partisan about this virus. It's too long we've allowed the virus to divide us. I met today with Gov. [Greg] Abbott, Sen. [John] Cornyn, conservative Republicans. I'm a Democratic president," he said. "We disagree on plenty of things, and there is nothing wrong with that, but there are plenty of things we can work on together. And one of them is represented right here today -- the effort to speed up vaccinations."
"We're not giving shots to Democrats or Republicans. I say it again, we're giving shots to Americans," he added.
Republicans vote by proxy -- after slamming the idea a year ago
Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., had a message for Democrats last summer about their proxy voting system set up during the pandemic: it was an "unconstitutional scheme."
"If you use Nancy Pelosi's proxy to skip work, you shouldn't get paid. It's as simple as that," he said in a June 30 Facebook video introducing his newbill withholding member pay for proxy voting.
Budd wasn't alone: A handful of House Republicans previously critical of the proxy vote system submitted letters to have colleagues vote for them, while they were scheduled to appear at CPAC.
Freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., tweeted last summer that leaders "show up no matter how uncertain the times are," and that Democrats were "cowards for hiding" and proxy voting.
He was also in Orlando on Friday, telling conservatives activists, "If we sit on the sidelines, we will not have a country to inherit."
"If we do not get involved and say that it is our duty to make sure that our country is responsible, that our country doesn't take away our liberties, then my friends, we will lose this nation," Cawthorn said.
Others Republicans scheduled to appear at CPAC on Friday who also planned to vote by proxy included Reps. Greg Steube of Florida, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, and Matt Gaetz of Florida, who was one of the first Republicans to support proxy voting.
Curtis Kalin, a spokesman for Budd, said the congressman still opposes proxy voting, and will donate his salary for the days he used the system to a restaurant relief fund, given his bill last year, "The No Pay for Proxy Voting Act."
The Republicans who attended CPAC aren't alone in their questionable use of the proxy voting system -- established by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., last year to cut down member travel to Washington during theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., was caught voting during a Transportation Committee hearing from a boat during a family trip to Utah. Stanton later apologized and said he "messed up." And several House Democrats voted by proxy last May in order to attend a SpaceX rocket launch in Florida.
Biden says Houston Food Bank is 'incredible'
At the second stop on Biden's visit to Texas, Biden, first lady Jill Biden and Houston Food Bank CEO Brian Greene toured the food bank where the first lady had already spent time volunteering Friday.
During the tour, the Bidens went to a room with rotating shelves that carry boxes of food, called the carousel room.
Biden also spent time walking around and speaking with volunteers, even taking a selfie with some. When asked by the press what he thought of the place, he said it is, "amazing, absolutely amazing."
"It’s incredible! It’s an incredible place. They do an -- and they have so many talented people here. It’s not just volunteers, they’re really talented people who do, you know, a lot of work outside before they got here."
Earlier Friday, Biden visited the Harris County Emergency Operations Center in Houston.
First lady visits the Houston Food Bank
First lady Jill Biden arrived at the Houston Food Bank around 1 p.m. on Friday with Texas first lady Cecilia Abbott, according to a pool report.
Biden and Abbott first stopped in the main lobby for several minutes and received a rundown of the food bank’s food distribution process from Nicole Lander, the organization’s chief impact officer. Lander told the first ladies that the food bank distributes an average of 18 million pounds of food per month during disasters, the equivalent of 20 tractor-trailer loads. Lander also noted that one in four children in the Houston area lacks consistent access to nutritious food, according to the report.
Biden and Abbott then moved to a warehouse room and joined volunteers in packing bags of food for the food bank’s Backpack Buddy program, which distributes food on weekends to students who rely on school meals during the week.
Biden packed canned peaches, while Abbott packed boxes of raisins.
They were joined by Houston Independent School District Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan, according to the pool report.
After their first stop, Biden and Abbott moved to a separate room to pack meals for seniors through the food bank’s Senior Box program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and provides a monthly box of food to roughly 11,000 low-income seniors in the Houston area, a separate pool report said.
Biden packed quick oats into boxes. Abbott also helped pack food boxes nearby, wearing a face mask emblazoned with the Texas flag.
