Below are full remarks as prepared for delivery by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in Wilmington, Delaware, detailing President-elect Joe Biden’s meeting with governors on Thursday.
| Good afternoon. President-elect Biden and I just met with a bipartisan group of Democratic and Republican Governors. We talked about what we need to do to make free testing available for everyone, to make a free vaccine available for everyone, and to get this pandemic under control. Governors are elected by their states to take action in moments of crisis. They’re the ones who go to the places that and talk to the people who are hardest hit. And, during this pandemic, they have been called on to make very difficult decisions about the health and safety of the people they represent, about opening schools, and about opening our economy responsibly. I have served in both state and local government, so I understand the critical role our Governors play. And they will have partners in the White House starting on January 20th. Because, as Governor Herbert said in our meeting: “When the states are successful, the country is successful.” So, our message to our Governors — and to all of our nation’s state and local leaders — is simple: President-elect Biden and I will make sure you have the resources and support you need to save lives and help get our economy back on track. And we will also make sure that our federal, state, local, and tribal authorities are working closely together so we can tackle these challenges as effectively as possible. Because when it comes to this pandemic — and the economic recovery — we are not Democrats or Republicans. We are Americans, and we will be there for one another. That’s the kind of leadership the American people need and deserve. And it’s the kind of leadership President-elect Biden and I will provide. It is now my honor to introduce President-elect Biden. |
