Colorado Politics

Kamala Harris to meet with Colorado small business owners in stop on tour promoting relief bill

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to meet with small business owners in Denver on Tuesday as Biden administration officials fan out across the country to promote the massive COVID-19 relief package.

Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, are among the officials who kicked off the “Help is Here” tour to tout benefits of the $1.9 trillion bill with a stop Monday in Las Vegas, where the vice president visited a vaccination site and a culinary school, The Associated Press reported.

Emhoff, an entertainment industry lawyer, planned to visit a food relief organization in Las Vegas and take part in a “listening session” with the operation’s partners on Monday, before the couple is scheduled to depart on Air Force Two for Los Angeles, The AP reported.

The second couple is scheduled to meet with small business owners in Denver on Tuesday afternoon, though details were unavailable.

Following the Denver stop, Emhoff is planning to break off for a trip to Albuquerque, N.M., to visit a school, The AP reported.

The Biden administration is reportedly attempting to correct what some officials view was a mistake made by the Obama administration, which they say didn’t do enough to promote the stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17, 2009, in Denver.

Part of that effort involves highlighting different aspects of the bill each day this week, Axios reported. Tuesday’s “help for small business” theme will be followed by “help for schools” on Wednesday, “help to stay in your home” on Thursday and “help immediately with direct checks” on Friday.

Designed to help the country battle the coronavirus and stimulate the economy, the bill was signed Thursday by President Joe Biden after passing Congress without any Republican support.

The sprawling bill provides up to $1,400 direct payments to most Americans and extends $300 weekly emergency unemployment benefits into early September. It also includes $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion for K-12 schools and about $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among numerous other provisions.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, arrive in Las Vegas, Monday, March 15, 2021. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour to highlight the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan and its benefits.
Jacquelyn Martin
Tags

PREV

PREVIOUS

Court clarifies protections for testifying workers, but rules they can still be demoted

Employers in Colorado may demote workers for their off-duty conduct, even if it does not violate any law, the Court of Appeals decided last week. State law, wrote Judge Christina F. Gomez for the three-member appellate panel, “unambiguously prohibits only termination or discharge of an employee’s employment and does not extend to demotion of an […]

NEXT

NEXT UP

Senate confirms New Mexico's Deb Haaland as interior secretary

Colorado has much to gain and lose from the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Deb Haaland as secretary of the interior Monday. The vote was close: 51-40, mostly with Republicans in opposition because they see her as a threat to fossil fuels with her strident views on using public land for resources. Colorado’s Sens. Michael Bennet […]


Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests