Biden warns of growing cost of delay on economic aid plan

Biden warns of growing cost of delay on economic aid plan

WASHINGTON (AP) “” President Joe Biden is warning of a steep and growing "cost of inaction“ on his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan as the White House searched for "creative“ ways to win public support for a package that is getting a cold shoulder from Senate Republicans.

In the age of the coronavirus, it's not as simple as jumping on a plane to travel the country and try to gin up a groundswell. And at a time of deep polarization, Biden may struggle to convince Republican voters of the urgency when Congress already has approved $4 trillion in aid, including $900 billion last month.

Biden signaled on Friday for the first time that he's willing to move ahead without Republicans.

"I support passing COVID relief with support from Republicans if we can get it,“ he told reporters. "But the COVID relief has to pass. No ifs, ands or buts.“

His message so far has been that a fresh $1.9 trillion in aid would be a bargain compared to the potential damage to the world's largest economy if it doesn't pass. An aggressive push for vaccinations and generous aid to individuals would help put parents back to work and let children return to school and