More than 150 top business leaders back Biden’s Covid plan
President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package has received backing from more than 150 senior executives from some of the largest American companies across several industries, according to a letter obtained by CNN.
Top executives representing some of the powerful business interests in the US, ranging from bank and investment firms like Goldman Sachs and Blackstone to technology companies like Google, Intel, and IBM, to hospitality companies like Loews Hotels and airlines including American and United Airlines. Top executives from real estate, insurance, and utility also signed on to the letter.
“Previous federal relief measures have been essential, but more must be done to put the country on a trajectory for a strong, durable recovery,” the executives wrote in the letter addressed to bipartisan congressional leaders.
The signatories have also endorsed a relief package “along the lines of the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed American Rescue Plan”.
During his first month in office, Biden has relentlessly made lawmakers pass his cornerstone legislative proposal, which includes school findings, vaccine distribution, and infrastructure, states and localities, direct payments, and extensions of expiring unemployment insurance programs.
As the House moves towards the final vote on the package later this week, the support of the businesses provides a boost to Democrats. David Solomon, chairman and chief executive officer at Goldman Sachs; Stephen Schwartzman, chairman and CEO of Blackstone; Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google; John Zimmer, the co-founder and president of Lyft; Brian Roberts, the chairman, and CEO of Comcast and John Stankey the CEO of AT&T.
Republican support has remained non-existent. It is said that Republicans are running out of friends in this legislative fight. Recent polling suggests that opponents have struggled to come up with a case against the Democratic’s popular proposal.
