Joe Biden called on all 50 states to use funds from his $1.9 trillion ‘American Rescue Plan’ to offer $100 payments to Americans who receive doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The move comes as concern has grown about rising cases across the country, and the administration has shifted its strategy to focus on more personalized approaches,” reports the New York Times.
“No task is more urgent than turning the tide on the pandemic, and there is no better tool than vaccination,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.
“Treasury stands ready to give technical assistance to state and local governments so that they may use the funds effectively to support increased vaccination in their communities, and Treasury will partner with the Department of Health and Human Services throughout this effort,” it said.
President Biden is calling for $100 payments to every newly vaccinated American, to be paid by state and local governments with stimulus funds https://t.co/jGMGtUHjrH
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 29, 2021
The decision comes one day after New York Mayor Bill de Blasio offered the same incentive.
“We are assessing the new information from the CDC right now. We got it less than 24 hours ago, and it is complicated information so our health team is reviewing it,” de Blasio told reporters. “We’ll have more to say on it in the next few days.”
He added: “The CDC is providing guidance. It’s up to each locality now to make sense of it.”
“When you get your first dose you will get a $100 incentive,” the mayor confirmed. “Can’t get better than that … Incentives help immensely. I think it’s going to be very, very appealing to New Yorkers.”
The $100 payment is in the form of a pre-paid debit card given to recipients after they receive the jab.
