JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Vice President Kamala Harris arrived Jacksonville Monday afternoon. This is a part of a larger mission where President Joe Biden as well as First Lady Jill Biden have been touring the country as a part of the American Rescue Plan and the COVID-19 relief bill.
Harris arrived in Jacksonville on Air Force 2 before 2 p.m., where Mayor Lenny Curry, Rep. Al Lawson and Commissioner Nikki Fried welcomed her on the tarmac.
"I'm glad to be in Jacksonville," Harris said while talking briefly to reporters at the airport.
Afterward, she visited the Gateway Mall federally-supported COVID-19 vaccination site. During her visit, Vice President Harris met and talked with some of the staff members working at the site. She even took the time to pose for pictures with some of the workers.
Harris then watched a high school English teacher get her vaccine at Gateway.
"I'm here to emphasized vaccinations and getting the vaccine," Harris said. "When it's your turn, you gotta get it."
Harris also met with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Councilman Tommy Hazouri. The meeting helped to show a spirit of bipartisanship when addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I think [Harris] wanted to come out and thank everyone for all the good word they are doing," Hazouri said. "I told her to bring the president next time. She said she would."
Meanwhile, outside the site, supporters of Vice President Harris gathered outside. Among them was a 5-year-old who held up a sign she made for class celebrating Harris as the first female vice president in the country's history.
Vice President Harris' next visit was to Feeding Northeast Florida. Her trip to the food bank were delayed due to possible gunshots along the route, according to police. Her motorcade was rerouted, and she arrived at Feeding Northeast Florida without incident at about 3:35 p.m.
While at Feeding Northeast Florida, Harris worked on selling the American Rescue Plan, passed on March 11. The vice president spent time listening to people at the food bank about their needs as demand increases.
"[President Joe Biden] says it all the time: The most important to do when people are suffering, when people are in need is to see them, to hear them, and to help them," Harris said. "And when we think about this issue of food insecurity, let's be clear, we're talking about hunger in America. And this is an issue that existed before the pandemic and was grossly [...] amplified during this pandemic."
Feeding Northeast Florida Susan King visited with the vice president and called the experience "extraordinary."
"I was very moved by the vice president's genuine and very sincere concern for the work that we do and the people that we're serving," King said. "[The visit] was very productive and hopeful."
Harris' motorcade arrived at Jacksonville International Airport at around 5:53 p.m. and departed on Air Force 2 shortly afterward.
It was a quick day for the Vice President. The road show began last Monday when she visited a vaccination site and culinary academy in Las Vegas to tout the American Rescue Plan.
That plan addresses the COVID-19 pandemic as well as economic crises and health disparities.
This visit comes after the administration celebrated a milestone on Friday. The US has administered more than 100 million covid-19 vaccine doses before the goal date of 100 days in office.
If you want to know what is in the $1.9 trillion dollar COVID-19 relief bill, click here.
Here’s a little of what is in the bill:
- Expanded unemployment benefits from the federal government would be extended through Sept. 6 at $300 a week.
- The legislation provides a direct payment of $1,400 for a single taxpayer, or $2,800 for a married couple that files jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent. Individuals earning up to $75,000 would get the full amount, as would married couples with incomes up to $150,000.
- The legislation means $350 billion will be sent to state and local governments and tribal governments for costs incurred up until the end of 2024.
- The bill calls for about $130 billion in additional help to schools for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The money would be used to reduce class sizes and modify classrooms to enhance social distancing, install ventilation systems and purchase personal protective equipment.
- The bill also delegates money to help bars and restaurants.
- Money would go to expand COVID-19 testing and speed up the distribution and administration of the vaccine across the country.
This isn't Harris' first time on the First Coast. She was in Jacksonville before the election to rally support. Duval County did go blue for President Biden and Harris in the November election.