共和国总统乔·拜登标志着周四的一次重大胜利，签署了《美国救援计划》使之成为法律——这是他上任七周以来的第一次立法胜利，也是世界卫生组织宣布新冠肺炎为流行病一周年之际。
在拜登担任总统的最初几天，近2万亿美元的COVID刺激立法一直是政府的最高优先事项，寻求“做大”，以控制病毒，并以1400美元的支票形式直接让大多数美国人放心。
尽管这一时刻很重要，但椭圆形办公室的签字仪式并没有太大的声势，拜登发表了简短的讲话，副总统贺锦丽站在他的一边观看。
曼德尔·颜/法新社通过盖蒂图像
2021年3月11日，美国总统乔·拜登在白宫椭圆形办公室签署了美国救援计划
拜登在签署该法案前表示:“他的历史性立法是关于重建这个国家的支柱，并给这个国家的人民、劳动人民、中产阶级和建设这个国家的人一个战斗的机会。”
尽管拜登长期以来一直希望在两党支持下通过该法案，但众议院或参议院中没有一名共和党人投票赞成该法案。
尽管党内投票反对，救助计划还是得到了美国人民的广泛支持。皮尤研究中心的一项民意调查发现，70%的美国人表示他们支持这项立法，41%的共和党人也表示他们支持这项法案。
“很明显，绝大多数美国人民，民主党人，无党派人士，我们的共和党朋友，已经清楚地表明了这一点，外面的人也清楚地表明了他们强烈支持美国的救援计划。昨天，随着该计划在众议院的最终通过，他们的声音被听到了，”拜登周四说。
虽然签署最初定于周五，但白宫宣布，该法案将于周四下午签署成为法律，此前白宫能够比预期更快地提交给拜登签署。
白宫新闻秘书珍·普萨基(Jen Psaki)预计，周五将在白宫举行一场额外的签字活动，参众两院的民主党人将参加。
该法案拨款1300亿美元重新开放学校，并提供1600亿美元用于疫苗接种和检测，以及数十亿美元用于小企业、食品和住房援助，以及1400美元的直接付款。
曼德尔·颜/法新社通过盖蒂图像
2021年3月11日，美国总统乔·拜登在白宫椭圆形办公室签署了美国救援计划
它还将通过增加补贴，帮助降低在联邦市场上为中产阶级和低收入美国人购买的医疗保健计划的成本，并延长美国人的额外失业福利，这些福利将于3月14日到期，不会中断。
随着《美国救援计划》现已生效，美国已正式拨款5万多亿美元用于COVID救援——这笔巨款超过了美国在第二次世界大战期间经通胀调整后的支出。
拜登甚至在就职前就提出了这项法案，在1月14日对全国发表的晚间讲话中阐述了大规模支出措施，为1.9万亿美元的价格辩护。
“我们现在不仅要在经济上采取行动。我相信我们有道德义务。在这场流行病中，在美国，我们不能让人们挨饿。我们不能让人们被驱逐。我们不能看着护士、教育工作者和其他人失业。我们非常需要他们。我们必须现在就行动，果断行动，”拜登在1月份的讲话中说。
他还将在他的第一个黄金时间地址周四晚上，评估自大流行宣布以来的一年，以及该国在继续努力控制冠状病毒方面的下一步行动。
Biden signs $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill hours ahead of speech to nation
PresidentJoe Bidenmarked a major victory Thursday, signing the American Rescue Plan into law -- the first legislative win of his presidency seven weeks after taking office and on the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
The nearly $2 trillion COVID stimulus legislation has been the administration's highest priority in the beginning days of Biden’s presidency, seeking to “go big” to get the virus under control and get relief directly into the hands of most Americans in the form of $1400 checks.
Despite the weight of the moment, the Oval Office signing was without much fanfare, with Biden giving brief remarks as Vice President Kamala Harris looked on from his side.
"[T]his historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country, and giving people of this nation, working people, middle class folks, people who built the country a fighting chance," Biden said before singing the bill.
While Biden had long hoped to pass the bill with bipartisan support, not a single Republican in the House or the Senate voted in favor of the legislation.
Despite the party-line vote, the rescue plan has wide support with the American people. A Pew Research poll found that 70% of Americans say they favor the legislation, with 41% of Republicans also saying they support the package.
"It's clear that an overwhelming percentage of the American people, Democrats, independents, our Republican friends, have made it clear, the people out there made it clear they strongly support the American rescue plan. Yesterday with the final passage of the plan in the House of Representatives, their voices were heard," Biden said Thursday.
While the signing was initially slated for Friday, the White House announced the bill would be signed into law Thursday afternoon after the House was able to deliver it for Biden’s signature more quickly than anticipated.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki previewed there would be an additional signing event at the White House Friday that would include House and Senate Democrats.
The bill allocates $130 billion to reopen schools and provide $160 billion for vaccinations and testing, along with billions in aid for small businesses, food and housing, along with the $1,400 direct payments.
It would also help to lower the cost of health care plans purchased on federal marketplaces for middle-class and low-income Americans by increasing subsidies, and extend additional unemployment benefits for Americans, set to expire on March 14, without interruption.
With the American Rescue Plan now law, the United States has officially allocated over $5 trillion in funding for COVID relief -- a massive sum that outpaces what the United States spent during World War II when adjusted for inflation.
Biden proposed the bill even before taking office, laying out the massive spending measure on Jan. 14 in an evening address to the nation, making his case for the $1.9 trillion price tag.
"We not only have an economic imperative to act now. I believe we have a moral obligation. In this pandemic, in America, we cannot let people go hungry. We cannot let people get evicted. We cannot watch nurses, educators, and others lose their jobs. We so badly need them. We must act now and act decisively," Biden said in the January remarks.
He will also address the pandemic in hisfirst prime-time addressThursday night, taking stock of the year since the pandemic declaration, and what’s next for the country in the continued effort to get the coronavirus under control.
