Biden Won't Address Congress Until After Passage of Covid Stimulus: Psaki

The White House is stressing that teachers across the nation should be considered essential and "prioritized" to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

"As the president of the United States, the leader of the country, he is conveying that this is important," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday.

The push to vaccinate teachers comes as President Joe Biden said the U.S. expects to take delivery of enough coronavirus vaccine for all adults by the end of May — two months earlier than anticipated — and he pushed states to get at least one shot into the arms of teachers by the end of March to hasten school reopenings.

Psaki also rebuffed criticisms that the Biden administration's COVID relief plan gave too much funding to state and local governments.

"The people we're listening to are the 400 mayors, Democrats and Republicans, who have conveyed clearly that they need assistance, they need funding to keep cops on the beat, to keep firefighters employed and they can keep state and local governments functioning," she said.

Psaki said the president remained confident in FBI Director Robert Wray as congressional hearings continue nearly two months after a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the building to try to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s victory.

She would not comment on any threats made on the president's upcoming address to a joint session of Congress.

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