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Added on the 03/05/2017 11:46:06 - Copyright : Wochit
The White House applauds the adoption of the foreign aid legislation and urges the US lower House to approve the long-delayed funding for Ukraine's war efforts against Russia. "The president urges the House to send this legislation to his desk immediately so that he can sign it into law," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
Dr. Anthony Fauci had previously said it could take up to 90% of the US population to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus. But on Sunday, he clarified his 'guesstimate' downwards to 70 to 85% of the population. Business Insider reports Fauci admitted on CNN's 'State of the Union' that 'we all have to be honest and humble, nobody really knows for sure.' This month, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized both Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. Healthcare professionals and frontline workers across the country have been getting vaccinations since the vaccine rollouts.
The Trump administration has forced two senior officials in the Department of Homeland Security to resign. CNN reports it's the latest losses in a purge of the civilian arm of the US government's third-largest department. Sources say that among them, one was Bryan Ware, a top official in DHS's cyber arm. DHS assistant secretary for international affairs Valerie Boyd also resigned. Leadership at the third-largest federal department has been exceptionally unstable throughout President Donald Trump's tenure. The DHS has had five secretaries, yet only two of them were actually confirmed by the Senate: John Kelly and Kirstjen Nielsen.
The road to the Oval Office is fraught with peril and stained with blood, sweat, and tears. But once there, the US President makes out reasonably well. According to Business Insider, the president earns an annual salary of $400,000, as well as unlimited access to Air Force One, Marine One, and Camp David. He and his family are also looked after by over 100 White House staffers, including top-flight pastry chefs, maids, landscapers, plumbers, and a head housekeeper. While the president is never really 'off,' he and his family can relax and watch movies in the White House media room, and work off steam in a number of sports areas. Finally, US presidents get free healthcare and a generous $200,000 annual pension--for life!
White House negotiations with Democrats over another pandemic aid bill have come to naught so far. Congress left town on Tuesday without passing another one, as virus cases surge across the nation, and the economic recovery threatens to grind to a halt. Business Insider reports that the prospect of more coronavirus aid is uncertain during a 'lame-duck session.' Such a session takes place in an even-numbered year, between the general election and the first session of the new Congress. The next deadline Congress faces is December 11. It must approve another spending bill to prevent a government shutdown. President Donald Trump supports another stimulus package. But his position has veered from cutting off relief negotiations to pressing for more money than Democrats.