President elect biden this is one of the worst economic and job crisis in modern history, but it doesnt have to stay that way. If we act now, now, i mean now, we can begin to regain momentum and start to build back a better future. There are no times to lose. Millions of people have lost their Health Insurance or in danger of losing their Health Insurance. One in six renters is behind in rent. One in four Small Businesses cant keep their doors open. And there is a growing gap in black and latino unemployment and the gap remains much too large. Deeply troubling that last months unemployment was driven by people dropping out of the job market, not because they were being hired. They have lost hope of finding a job and taking fulltime care giving responsibilities as Child Centers remain closed and children learn remotely. Over the past three months, 2. 3 million more people are longterm unemployed. Meaning 23 weeks or more. By far, the largest increase on record. This is a dire jobs report. This is a snapshot of up to midnovember, before the surge in covid cases we predicted and the deaths rise and we have seen in december as we head into a very dark winter ahead. For example, since october, ties are down 21,000 educators. Just as schools need more help in fighting against the pandemic. Couple of days ago, i spoke with School Crossing guard, a server, people,rant owner, good honorable people. Decent, hardworking americans from across the country and reminded me of my dad who lost his job in scranton and moved the people to delaware outside of wilmington. He said i dont expect the government to solve my problems but expect them to understand my problems. But, folks, im talking about the folks out there not looking for a handout. They just need help. They are in trouble through no fault of their own. Nothing they did caused them to have hours cut or lose their job or drop out of the job market. But they need us to understand. We are in a crisis. We need to come together as a nation. We need the congress to act and act now. If congress and President Trump failed to act by the end of december, 12 million americans will lose Unemployment Benefits they rely on. Merry christmas. Unemployment benefits to keep food on the table, lights on and heat on, pay their bills. Emergency paid leave will end. Moratorium on evictions will expire. States will lose the vital tools they need for testing and Public Health. Mutt yourselves in that position. Laying awake at night wondering what is going to happen tomorrow. Going to be harder for states to keep children in schools and Small Businesses around. States are facing large budget shortfalls this year. They laid off more than one million workers, even more teachers, firefighters, cops will lose their jobs unless the federal government steps up now. And all of this weakens our ability to control the virus if we dont step up now. Emergency paid leave reduces the spread of covid because it allows people to stay home when theyre sick. States and cities need funding to direct their Covid Response which is the way to end the economic crisis as well and only way to get people back to work. Im not saying this situation is urgent. If we dont act now, the future will be very pleek. Americans need help and need it now and need more to come early next year. But i must tell you, i am encouraged by the bipartisan efforts in the senate around 900 billion package for relief. Its a bipartisan effort. As Congress Works out the details of this relief package, they have to focus on resources for direct Public Health responses to covid19. We need meaningful funding for vaccines now so they wont lose time and leave people waiting for additional months. We need serious funding for testing now. We need to ramp up testing and allow our schools and businesses to operate safely. The sooner we pass the funding, the sooner we can turn the corner on covid19. On the weeks since the election ending, there were questions whether democrats and republicans could work together. I know you are skeptical about y view they will or can. Congress and President Trump have to get this deal done for the American People. Any package passed in the lame duck session is not going to be enough overall. Its critical, but its just a start. Congress is going to need to act again in january. Earlier today, i consulted with a number of my economic team, most of which have been announced by now and Vice President harris and i announced that team last week. As we inherit the Public Health and economic crisis, we are working on a plan that we will put forward in the next congress to move fast, to control the pandemic, to revive the economy and build back better than before. We hope to see the same kind of bipartisan spirit and cooperation as we are seeing today. Our plan is based on the input from a broad range of people, the Vice President elect and i have been meeting with since winning this election last month, labor leaders and leading c. E. O. s in the country, mayors and governors of both parties, parents, educators, workers, Small Business owners. There is a consensus. To battle covid19, we have to make sure businesses and workers have the tools, resources and the guidance in health and Safety Standards to keep businesses and schools safely. It can be done. Heres the deal. The fight against covid wont be won by january alone. To truly end this crisis, Congress Needs to fund more testing as well as a more equitable and free distribution of a vaccine. We need more Economic Relief to bridge through 2021 unless this pandemic and economic cries sees are over. We need to build back better. I said it before, independent nalysis by moodys, a well respected wall street firm that millionwill create 18. 6 goodpaying jobs. Reward work in america, not wealth. We are going to invest in infrastructure, clean energy and manufacturing, so much more. We will create millions of jobs and get the job market back on the path to full employment. This will raise income, reduce racial ces, advance equity and restore the middle class. Look, bottom line, its essential we provide immediate relief for working families and businesses now, not just helping get to the other side of this painful crisis but to avoid an economic costs due to longterm unemployment and businesses failing. By acting now, even with deficit financing, we can add to growth in the near future. Economic research shows, especially with low interest rates, not taking action, action im proposing, will hurt the economy, scar the work force, reduce growth and add to the national debt. Look, i know times are tough. The challenges are daunting. But i know we can do this. We can create an economic recovery for all, for everybody. We can move from crisis to recovery and to resurgence. This is the United States of america. We have done it before and well do it again. We will. I promise you. So i thank Bipartisan Group that is trying to put something together right now and we are going to need more bipartisan as we move on. God bless you guys and women who are doing this. God bless our country and may god protect our troops. Ill stop there and be happy to take some questions. Reporter mr. President elect, what is the biggest task you will have when you enter office when distributing a vaccine . Your team has started to meet with the trum administration to learn of their plans as you are set to inherit this task. Are you satisfied with the current plans that are under way for distributing that vaccine . Do you feel the federal government is doing enough at this point . And what steps need to be taken when now and when the first vaccines go out . President elect biden they clued us on their planning how they plan to distribute the vaccine to the various states. But there is no detailed plan that we have seen any way as to how you get the vaccine out of a container into an injection syringe into somebodys arm and it is going to be difficult to be done and expensive proposition. For example, you know, we agree with their priorities that they have laid out so far, i do at least, my team is looking at with dealing with First Responders and those in Nursing Homes and home care. First people on the list. But we also have to realize that we are in a situation where there has to be some equity in the way this is distributed and that requires that right now, we are in a situation where you have leading cause of death for americans this week is covid19. Blacks and latinos are three times as likely to die if they get covid19. The communities of color, its a mass casualty event and you have to figure out how to make sure to get the vaccine to those communities. And delivering it to the walmarts and other major drug chains does not get you into a lot of these neighborhoods and doesnt guarantee. So we have a lot of work to do. And there has to be the equity side of this has to be the important part of distribution. In addition to that, the cost of actually getting the serum into an injection, into a needle into somebodys arm, takes a lot of people and a lot of folks to be able to get that done and we have to have a much better way than we have seen thus far as to how it is distributed. In some states, the governor of utah said i can take care of it in our conversation. That could be true, but in large states like california, texas, florida, its not that easy. Thats what we are working on right now. And thats why i ask dr. Fauci to stay on and to be my chief adviser on this issue, but also to be part of the covid team. Reporter on your cabinet, you are facing a lot of pressure to add more diversity to your administration. You have civil Rights Groups and lawmakers pushing you to do this, to make sure that you make good on your promise. And look at your cabinet announcements and include diverse. And i hone in on the big four, when it comes to secretary of state and treasury, you nominated a white man and white women. Would you commit to nominating a person of color . President elect biden for each one of these jobs pushed to make sure there is greater diversity. When all is said and done and see i have announced and in the next several weeks, we will have it all out there. You will see significant diversity. I promise, it will be the sing the most diverse cabinet based on race and color, based on gender that has ever existed in the United States of america. Reporter no commitment on those spots . President elect biden it will be the most diverse cabinet in the white house as well as the cabinet positions. Reporter democrats and republicans have been in a stale mate for several months as they have been negotiating and trying to talk about what kind of stimulus to put together. You were elected by more than 80 Million People to break the log jam. Can you talk about what you have done over the past several weeks to actually work with democrats and republicans speaking to congressional leaders to get them to agree on a stimulus package . And what do you say to senator sanders who have come out against the Stimulus Program already and said 900 billion deal is not good enough . President elect biden kind of stupid for me to tell you what i did. It would be hard to do it again. I told you i was confident to get a bipartisan agreement on this stuff and i think we will, not just on this package but i think beyond and last thing im going to do is tell you how i go about this. I used to get asked the same thing when i was putting significant deals between democrats and republicans when i was a senator and Vice President. Let me asking you how did you get those sources that you got in order to get that story. It would be ridiculous for you to tell me how you did it. All i can tell you, there is a sufficient number of democrats and republicans in the United States senate along with significant votes coming out of the house of representatives to put together a serious package that will keep us from going off the edge here and provide the resources that are needed immediately. Its not going to satisfy everybody. But the option is if you insist everything you are likely to get nothing on both sides. I think they are on their way to come up with a package that meets the basic immediate needs we have. I made it clear, its just a downpayment. This is not in the deal. So i have been relativey good at negotiating over my career because i never, number one, reveal something that someone doesnt want me to and number two, i always keep my word. Reporter there are a number of progressives who have criticized this deal because it doesnt include the 1200 checks. What do you say about that. The American People who are hurting dont have anything in this deal and not getting any of the zhruss that is in this deal. President elect biden it would be better if they have the 1200. But im not going to comment on the specific details. The whole purpose is make sure people arent thrown out of their apartments, lose their homes or ununemployment insurance and feed their families and grow the economy nd be in a position where we provide help to localities to not lay offteachers and First Responders and we are able to generate the kind of growth that is a consequence the costs a lot of money to keep schools and businesses open on the covid side of the equation. I think the proposal that quite frankly, the heroes act that the house passed, thats what i would support. But, you know, this is a democracy, and you got to find a sweet spot where you have people willing to move in a direction hat gets us down the road. Reporter thank you, mr. President elect. You are discussing this compromised bill as a downpayment. This is more than what Republican Leaders want to pay. What are your options to get americans additional relief . President elect biden i dont start thinking off that way. Reporter it has been more than six months. Mitch mcconnell hasnt signed off on the compromised bill, what makes you confident that republicans will go big once you are in office . President elect biden the country is going to be in dire, dire, dire straits if they dont. Reporter have you spoken to Mitch Mcconnell . President elect biden we will be in dire straits if we dont. Reporter thank you mr. President elect. One in six renters are behind in their rent. You say the situation is urgent. When you come into office you expect to pass executive orders dealing with those issues and do you plan to pass trillions of dollars of aid when you say we need to go big or looking at trillions of dollars . President elect biden we are looking at hundreds of billions of dollars. And look, again, i have learned after hanging in this business for a while, last thing you do before you go into negotiations is lay down a dropdead marker. I think there is a lot we can get done and i think people are going to see the overwhelming necessity. There are a lot of folks who represent republican districts find that republican neighbors are in real trouble as things get worse. They are going to find there is an overwhelming need. Remember that i said that the experts we had, at least another 250 dead. And they said no. No. No. No. Guess what . Its going to get much worse. Its going to get much worse. I believe there are enough republicans who will join enough democrats in the United States senate to get a majority along with the house to get it done, but well see. Well see. Reporter on executive orderers president elect biden i will issue executive orderers that are within the purview of an executive. One of the things i dont like i dont like people saying i can do the following things which there is no basis in the constitution which suggests that can be done. I can issue executive orders on pulling back some of the executive orders that trump put forward but i cant say we are going to spend dollars without congress properties and is responsible for distributing that money. Reporter on the covid vaccine, you talked about getting it to vulnerable populations and you said you will get the vaccine to get people to feel safe. People are saying he might have Better Health care than me. What more can you do to convince people that the vaccine is safe for them and you will lean on existing members of the Coronavirus Task force and you are committed to getting dr. Birx and dr. Fauci. President elect biden there are a lot of people. And the task force will be expanded with fine people. And i think actions of president s matter. And im going to Say Something that i think the Africanamerican Community and Latino Community that i have never misrepresented anything to them. Im the oldest president ever elected, although actually im 47. But all kidding aside, my taking the vaccine and people seeing that is going to give some confidence. But, i said early on, you may remember, i think you may have asked the question, i may be mistaken, i said early on, one of the things that bothers me most is the wild assertions that the administration is making how this is going to go away and inject bleach, it was diminishing confidence across the board and American People and particularly this administration in the Africanamerican Community and what i heard blocks from here, well, we are not going to be the guinea pigs. The fact of the matter is, they wont be. You will see tens of millions of americans taking the vaccine and three of the four living president s taking the vaccine. Its all about and look, its going to take some