Harris lands new job pushing American Jobs Plan through Congress for Biden
'I know it will get done,' Biden said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vice President Kamala Harris was given a new assignment during President Biden’s address to Congress Wednesday night, tasked to lead the effort to push through his approximately $2 trillion American Jobs Plan.
Republicans on the Hill have condemned the spending package as a bloated wish list of items that focus more on climate initiatives than job growth.
But Biden insisted his plan will help restore the U.S. economy by investing the in "largest job plan since WWII" through climate forward initiatives and rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is going to help our kids and our businesses succeed in the 20th-century economy and I’m asking the vice president to lead this effort if she would," Biden said while turning to look at Harris. "Because I know it will get done," he added.
HARRIS NOT HEADED TO GUATEMALA UNTIL JUNE TO DISCUSS 'ROOT CAUSES' OF MIGRATION
"Scientific breakthroughs took us to the moon, now we're on Mars, discovering vaccines, it gave us the internet, so much more. These are investments we made together as one country and investments that only the government was in a position to make," Biden said in front of a joint session of Congress.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That’s why I propose the American Jobs Plan, a once-in-a-generation investment into America itself. In the process we will create thousands and thousands of jobs," he continued.
But positioning the vice president between congressional lawmakers wary of the large price tag could hinder the measure's ability to be passed on a bipartisan basis.
Republicans have already condemned Harris’ lack of urgency addressing her existing presidential assignment, tackling the "root causes" of the immigration crisis at the southern border.
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The vice president said earlier this month she will be traveling to Mexico and El Salvador to meet with top officials and address corruption and human rights abuses contributing to mass migration from the Northern Triangle to the U.S. – but her trip has been pushed back to June.
Harris has also yet to publically speak on the border crisis or meet with Republicans in Congress frustrated by the growing numbers of migrants on the southern border.