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 Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will also receive an economic
briefing from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, shortly after she
takes part in the first meeting of the Group of Seven rich economies
since the new U.S. administration took office.
Biden's proposed spending package, coming on top of $4 trillion
enacted by his predecessor Donald Trump, will have important
consequences for the global economy which is slowly recovering - but
very unevenly - after last year suffering its worst downturn since
the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Taking part in the Oval Office meeting will be Republican and
Democratic elected officials whose states and cities have been
hammered by the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout. Many
have seen tax revenues fall and costs soar as they race to vaccinate
their citizens.
The group includes four governors, including New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a
Republican, and five mayors, including Jeff Williams of Arlington,
Texas, a Republican.
Williams, who met with Yellen virtually last week, said his city
urgently needed the federal aid earmarked for state and local
governments in Biden's rescue plan. He said cities were crushed when
Congress removed similar aid from a previous relief bill that passed
in December.
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 "We've been crippled. We
haven't gotten help," Williams told Reuters.
"Our property taxes are down and costs are way
up. It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a
Republican, this is the right solution so we can
achieve economic growth much faster."
Arlington, which is home to the largest General
Motors plant in the world, is bracing for a 10%
drop in the appraised value of its commercial
properties, which would cut revenues by some $30
million after an $18 million loss last year,
Williams said.
More than 400 mayors wrote to leaders in
Congress earlier this month to urge them to pass
Biden's relief package, but Republicans are
backing a far less ambitious plan.
Biden on Thursday said the U.S. coronavirus
death toll was likely to reach 500,000 next
month, but said the United States was on track
to have enough vaccine for 300 million Americans
by the end of July.
Yellen, a former Federal Reserve Board Chair,
will have a mixed message when she briefs Biden
on the economy. While economic growth is picking
up, unemployment remains high and many
communities of color are not expected to recover
for years.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Lincoln
Feast.)
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