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 Biden invited a set of mayors and governors to the Oval Office and
described what he said was a need to give those officials more help
supporting millions of unemployed workers and reopening schools.
"We need to help the states economically in terms of unemployment,"
Biden said during a small part of the meeting that was open to
reporters. "The federal government has a major role to play here."
The White House summit came as public health officials in the
administration readied new guidelines for reopening schools and as
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said "the time to go big is now" as
she pushed for more stimulus globally during the first meeting of
the Group of Seven wealthy economies since the new U.S.
administration took office.
The Democratic president's proposed spending package, coming on top
of $4 trillion enacted by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump,
would have important consequences for a global economy that is
slowly and unevenly recovering after last year suffering its worst
downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
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 plan with a much smaller price tag.
Taking part in the Oval Office meeting were 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.
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 Williams, who met with Yellen
virtually last week, said his city urgently
needs 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.
"We've been crippled. We haven't gotten help,"
Williams said in an interview. "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 Co 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.
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.
While economic growth is picking up,
unemployment remains high and many communities
of color are not expected to recover for years.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Andrea Shalal;
Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and
Diane Bartz; Editing by Lincoln Feast and
Jonathan Oatis)
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