Its data on the companys singledose vaccine saying it does meet the requirements for Emergency Use Authorization. Put another way, fda sees it as safe and effective. This friday, an independent group of advisers to the fda will be meeting to make their recommendation on the vaccine. So hearing from the president s top covid advisers and how they will describe this coming step will be very interesting. Well bring you that briefing from the Covid Response team once it gets under way any minute now. Let me bring in cnns sanjay gupta on this j j news. The analysis youve been going through, it says it protects well against severe disease and death. Can you put numbers to that for us . What does this mean . What is the fda releasing with this . Yeah. This is the fdas analysis of this data. Lets put the numbers up and ill talk you through this a little bit. I think this is important. When we look at the numbers in terms of how protective this vaccine is against moderate and severe disease, i can tell you these numbers are a little different from what we first heard from Johnson Johnson and theyre a little better. The South African Variant Circulating predominantly in south africa, previously it was thought to be 57 protective against moderate and severe disease. A little better now. Kate, you can see theres the difference, the u. S. 72 , thats the Coronavirus Strain circulating here. In latin america, thats more likely the strain circulating in brazil and then the variant in south africa. There is a difference, and thats something to make note of in terms of how much of a difference these strains, how protective the vaccine will be. It was the bottom number to your question, 85 across the board globally where they said its 85 protective against severe and critical disease. No hospitalizations at one month, no deaths in people who received the vaccine. Thats going to be the data point i think the fda is going to be largely focused on. What is the goal of the vaccine . To prevent you from getting sick, needing hospitalizations, and death. This vaccine seems to work well in that regard. Such good news to hear that coming out and see the fdas analysis on this. It does appear that, as everyone is focusing on the efficacy levels of vaccines sanjay, well run over to the briefing right now. The white house Covid Response team giving their update, getting under way right now. Too many businesses and schools have been closed for way too long. President biden is clear, we are at war with there virus, and were using every resource at our disposal to defeat it. Were Keeping Equity at the front and center of our response. Partnering with states, tribes and territories to increase vac nations in the hardesthit and hardesttoreach communities. Increasing supply to convenient and trusted locations Like Community Health Centers. Deploying mobile units to meet people where they are and improving Data Collection so we have a better understanding of the inequities currently experienced. Today were announcing another action were taking to ensure an equitable response. In the month of march, we will begin to deliver millions of masks to food banks and Community Health centers around the country. These are nationwide networks that serve populations hit hard by the pandemic. Many lowincome Americans Still lack Affordable Access to this basic protection. Thats why were taking action to keep americans safe. Well deliver more than 25 Million Masks across the country. This masks will be available at more than 1,300 Community Health centers and at 60,000 Food Pantries nationwide. Any american who needs a mask can walk into these Health Centers or Food Pantries and pick up highquality, americanmade masks. These masks will be available at no cost. They will be well fitting cloth masks available in childrens and adult sizes and they can be washed for reuse, all consistent with cdc guidance and all made in the usa. Once again, our decisions here have been made with equity at the center. Not all americans are Wearing Masks regularly. Not all americans have access and not all masks are equal. With this action, were helping to level the playing field, giving vulnerable populations quality, wellfitting masks. When President Biden delivered his inaugural address, he made a very clear request to the country. Mask up. Hes taken action to require masks in federal buildings, On Federal Lands and on Public Transportation like planes, trains and buses. The action were announcing today is a targeted step for americans to protect themselves and their fellow americans. As we encourage people to continue to mask up, were focused on vaccinating people quickly and equitably. Today i will give you the latest update on our execution on vaccinations in the three key areas that were focused on. More vaccine supply, more vaccinators and more places to get vaccinated. First, on vaccine supply, yesterday we announced the fifth consecutive week of supply increases to states, tribes and territories. From 8. 6 million doses when we took office to 14. 5 million doses this week. Thats an increase in Vaccine Allocations to states of nearly 70 during the bidenharris administration. The Retail Pharmacy program we launched a few weeks ago has performed well so far, and this week well increase the allocation to pharmacies to 2. 1 million doses. So with 14. 5 million doses allocated to states, tribes and territories and 2. 1 million through the federal Retail Pharmacy program, weve nearly doubled weekly supply of doses in just five weeks. Second, were mobilizing teams to get shots in arms. Weve deployed over 800 federal personnel as vaccinators, and the federal government is now funding 1,200 National Guard members to serve as vaccinators. Weve also deployed 1,000 federal personnel to support Community Vaccination sites in operational and support roles. Third, we continue creating more places where americans can get vaccinated. Weve now expanded Financial Support to bolster Community Vaccination Centers Nationwide with over 3. 6 billion in fema funding to 44 states, tribes and territories for Vaccination Efforts. Were bringing vaccinations to places communities know and trust. Community centers, high school gyms, churches and stadiums nationwide. We continue to work with states to set up innovative highvolume, federally run sites that can each give over 30,000 shots a week. These sites are up and running in california and are ramping up in texas, florida and pennsylvania. Weve also launched federal programs to get vaccines to pharmacies and local Community Health centers. As weve always said, were committed to providing clarity on our progress, and that includes when we hit bumps in the road. Last week we got hit with the very Severe Weather which impacted the Vaccination Supply Chain from manufacturing to shipping, to the ability to get shots in arms. The manufacturers, the shipping firms, the states, the tribes, the territories and pharmacies work to overcome these challenges. Despite all the temporary weatherrelated delays, our sevenday average daily doses administered is at 1. 4 million, and weve already caught up on the weatherrelated shipping backlogs. Teams worked through out last weekend to pack and ship doses. On monday, yesterday, 7 million doses two days ago. 7 million doses were delivered. That coupled with the 14. 5 million doses allocated this week, results in record supply going to the states. Weve encouraged states to get needles into arms by extending vaccine clinic hours, Offering Services 24 hours a day where possible, adding weekend appointments, and have more staff on hand. On this point i want to stress that if states do not have the staff to work around the clock and on the weekends, the federal government stands ready to help. I also want to spend a couple of minutes on our plans for the Johnson Johnson vaccine, which is currently pending approval for Emergency Use Authorization by the fda. Yesterday, i again updated and renewed with our nations governors our plans to distribute the Johnson Johnson vaccine if the eua is granted. Theyre carefully planning their efforts and getting ready for the possible new vaccine. If authorized, were ready to roll out this vaccine without delay. Our Distribution Approach will mirror the current Allocation Process against jurisdictions, pharmacies and Community Health centers. If an eua is issued, we anticipate allocating 3 to 4 million doses of Johnson Johnson vaccine next week. Johnson johnson has announced it aims to deliver a total of 20 million doses by the end of march. Were working with the company to accelerate the pace and time frame by which they deliver the full 100 million doses which is required by contract by the end of june. While we await the fdas decision, we want the American People to know that were doing the work, that if theeau is granted, we will waste no time getting the vaccination into arms. With that, ill turn it over to dr. Walensky. Thank you, jeff. Im delighted again to be with you today. We continue to see trends heading in the right direction. In the past week average daily cases declined 25 to approximately 64,000 cases per day. This is slightly less than the summer peak of 60,000 daily cases reported last july. While this is good news, cases remain high and we continue to watch the data closely. We also see declines in Hospital Admissions this past week. An average of 6500 patients with covid19 were admitted per day, a decrease of 16 from the week prior. The number of reported deaths is also dropping with a sevenday average of slightly less than 2,000 per day. This represents a 35 decline compared to the prior week. On monday i announced were kicking off our threeday covid19 vaccine forum. Since that time weve had an extraordinary few days. Our final tally, we virtually assembled over 12,000 participants from across the United States representing state, tribe, local and territorial governments, private sector partners, medical and Public Health institution, communitybased organization, faithbased groups and educators, among others. The discussions and presentations from over 100 speakers showcased promising practices and critical scientific information for those involved in Vaccination Efforts in communities across the nation. Id like to share a few examples of what we learned over the last three days. First, trust and Community Confidence are cornerstones of our National Vaccine efforts. Trusted voices are critical to Building Confidence in vaccines and addressing misinformation. Our Community Leaders are often those trusted voices. We heard from national, state and local Health Leaders about communication and Public Education campaigns they are deploying to combat myths and disinformation and instill confidence and interest in covid19 vaccines, as well as tools and strategies Health Care Providers can use when talking with their patients about covid19 vaccination. For example, we learned about a new Communications Campaign in new orleans that is grounded in the local flavor and culture as a way to resonate with the citys residents. Second, one of the most powerful benefits of the forum was learning about ontheground experiences and new innovations to expand Vaccination Efforts. We heard about creative ways providers and volunteers have been getting vaccinations into communities using boats, ferries and snowmobiles in alas karks leveraging Emergency Medical Services to provide vaccinations to homebound individuals in indiana and using Awareness Campaigns featuring trusted elders and Health Care Workers in the Cherokee Nation of oklahoma. Finally, Forum Sessions taught us every person, community, faithbased organization, governmental and nongovernmental partner and business has a role to play in supporting our nations covid19 vaccination strategy. We learned about faithbased efforts like the outreach to people of Color Being Led by the metropolitan International Church in nashville, tennessee, where faith ambassadors engage with local clergy to help spread Accurate Information on covid19 vaccines to these highrisk communities. We also heard about successful publicprivate partnerships like in san diego where Vaccination Supper Sites like petco park stadium are vaccinating thousands of people a day, and in colorado where theres the champions for Vaccine Equity task force where the Health Department and ten medical champions of color are working with and through communitybased organizations to create opportunities for listening and sharing information about covid19 vaccines. These are just a few of many practical innovations and solutions shared during the forum. All these sessions as well as resources and materials will be posted on the cdc website following the forum. I encourage you to check it out when youre able. Next i would like to take a moment to highlight the progress made so far in our efforts to rapidly expand Genome Sequencing nationally including through our 200 Million Investment announced last week. This work is more important than ever given the continue spread of covid19 variants in the United States. As of february 23rd, we now have identified nearly 1,900 cases of b. 1. 1. 7 variant in 45 states, 46 case of the b 1351 in 14 states and five cases of the p1 variant. The pace has scaled up from 400 samples a week to now more than 9,000 samples as of the week of february 20th. We are continuing to increase this pace with our state Public Health and private lab partners with a goal of 2700 samples per w week. The increased volume is helping us to better understand the diversity of variants circulating in the United States, where theyre located and how theyre spread. With the samples in hand we can scientifically examine therapeutics moving forward. Finally, i want to say we are proud to be partners in the announcement made today about providing masks to underserved and vulnerable populations. One of the most impactful things we can do is wear a mask. This is so important in this critical period where variants are increasing throughout our country. Cdc continues to recommend everyone two years of age or older wear a mask when out in public. The mask should have two or moyer layers, completely cover your nose and mouth and fit snugly against your nose and sides of your face. Its essentially you wear your mask correctly and it fits well to get the most protection. By Wearing Masks in combination with social distancing, washing your hands, avoiding crowds and travel and getting vaccinated when its available, we can bring an end to this pandemic. Thank you, i, of course, look forward to your questions. Ill first turn things over to dr. Fauci. Thank you very much, dr. Walensky. What id like to do over the next couple minutes is just update you on an important component of the spectrum of covid19 disease. If i could have the first slide. Many of you are now aware of what had long been called long covid, but actually what that really is post acute sequella of sars cov 2 or pasc. The reason im bringing that up will become apparent in a minute or two. The symptoms of this include fatigue, shortness of breath, sleep disorders, sleep dis disorders, fevers, gi symptoms, anxiety and depression and what some have referred to as brain fog or a difficulty in concentrating or focusing. These are post acute sequella after the virus has been cleared from the body. New symptoms arise well after the time of infection or they evolve over time and they may persist, as ill get to in a moment, for months and the range from mild, annoying to actually quite incapacitating. The magnitude of the problem is not yet fully known. Next. There have been a number of papers that have described in some detail large cohorts. Here is one from china which was published online on january 8th in more than 1,700 patients who actually had been hospitalized. I point out that you can get this postacute syndrome even in individuals who did not require hospitalization. The sixmonth followup showed a variety of signs and symptoms shown here with many having fatigue and weakness, as i mentioned on the prior slide, sleep difficulties, ang vooilt and depression and the greater proportion of patients with more severe illness had impaired Lung Diffusing capacity. Next, most recently in a study from the University Of Washington that appeared just a few days ago, it was found really something alarming, that approximately 30 of the patients who were enrolled at the University Of Washington reported persistent symptoms from as long as nine months after illness. Fatigue was the most common reported symptom and persistent symptoms were reported by onethird of outpatients with mild disease. Next slide. What we did, we being an interagency group, the nih, the cdc and others, Put Together A Workshop In Rockville just a little north of washington, d. C. On december 3rd and 4g9 of last year in which we looked at various organ symptoms and brought in experts in all these areas, cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, neurologic, immunologic and pediatric, to scope out the kind of things we would be looking at with this puszing syndrome. The reason im bringing it up at this Press Conference next slide is just yesterday, february 23rd, the nih launched a new initiative to study this pasc or post acute sequelae. Looking back a bit in december of last year, the congress provided 1. 5 billion funding over four years for the Nih To Support Research looking into this. Im happy to say yesterday was the first in what will be a series of announcements released on this puzzling syndrome. The search will look at sars cov 2 cohort and some that are already established and some that will be established. Theyll will looking at large data banks from resources such as Electronic Health records and health symptoms. Theyll be studying a number of of biological specimens. Finally on the last slide, there are selective questions that this initiative hopes to answer, and they are important. What does the spectrum of recovery from this infection look like across all the entire population . Young individuals, middle aged, elderly . How many people continue to have symptoms of covid19 or even, as weve seen, develop new symptoms that they did not have even as part of their acute infection. Importantly, what is the underlying biological cause of these prolonged symptoms . We refer to that as pathogenesis. What makes certain people vulnerable while others recover fully and quickly and have no sequelae. Finally, does sars cov 2 Infection Trigger changes in the body that actually increase the risk later on of such ab No Normalities such as chronic heart or brain developments. Questions that are unanswered that we hope with this series of initiatives we will ultimately answer. Ill stop there and hand it back to jeff. Weve been listening in to the White House Coronavirus Response Team with interesting updates this week. Let me bring in dr. Megan rany, Emergency Room Physician at brown university. Good to see you again, doctor. What was your most important takeaway from todays briefing . So, as you know, i cofounded an organization, get us ppe almost a year ago because of the lack of personal protective equipment for Health Care Workers across the country. So to me, the most exciting and important thing out of this Press Announcement was their declaration that theyll be delivering millions of masks to Community Health centers and Food Pantries across the United States. Thats huge in terms of our ability to prevent the transmission of this disease while we wait for vaccines to get in arms. The other thing, kate, is how refreshing it is to hear a Press Conference thats driven by science and by data. Its such a stark contrast to what we heard in so much of 2020. It was really interesting. I was struck by that mask announcement. 25 Million Masks theyll be delivering for free in march, that there is this maybe not renewed focus, but continued focus, as they have said, on masks. I guess you could say theyre putting their money where their mouth is on this. On the j j announcement that we heard this morning, the fda analysis coming out, and jeff zients announcing there had been some question about when j j gets emergency authorization, how much is going to be sflabl jeff zients saying between 3 million and 4 million doses allocated next week. What does that mean for the countrys Vaccination Effort as you add that on to the pfizer and moderna . Whats your reaction to that . So the biggest thing about the j j vaccine is how much easier it is to distribute and administer. Those 3 million to 4 million doses will get to places that cant maintain the cold storage requirements for the mrna vaccines. It will allow to get to rural areas and underserved areas and people who will be tough to get back tore a second dose; getting more people vaccinated more quickly. Im so en thus about the 3 to 4 million number. The proof is in the pudding to see how many comes in the weeks after that. Theres been some concern about how much j j will continue to produce. Im quite happy to hear what they think theyll be able to get out next week. They definitely seem to be focused on helping j j ramp that up. Now with the j j news, dr. Ranney, its coming to dr. Fouch cli chi, can we and should we be able to choose what vaccine we get . So my takeaye way ive been discussing this with other medical and public experts all morning, combing through this new fda release and trying to make sense of it, my takeaway is get the vaccine youre offered. Waiting an extra month or two with an extra 10 or 20 efficacy against mild or moderate disease, you have the chance of getting covid in the next month or two. I would say take what you can get that, too. Well be waiting to see how to prioritize this vaccine. My suspicion is it will start with people lower risk for severe disease. People without comorbidities, if youre offered a vaccine, take it. If my own parents were offered the j j vaccine, id tell them to get it. It comes to getting a single dose out to populations that are more rural, a lot of positives that comes with j js announcement as well. Thank you for coming in. The House Of Representatives is set to vote friday on President Bidens Massive Covid Relief Package. Right now the bill includes an increase in the minimum wage to 15. Will that make it into the final version . Weve got an update. Priceline works with top hotels, to save you up to 60 . These are all great. And when you get a big deal. You feel like a big deal. Priceline. Every trip is a big deal. If you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea and youre often tired during the day, you could be missing out on amazing things. Sunosi can help you stay awake for them. Once daily sunosi improves wakefulness in adults with excessive daytime sleepiness due to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Sunosi worked for up to nine hours at 12 weeks in a clinical study. Sunosi does not treat the cause of osa or take the place of your cpap. Continue to use any treatments or devices as prescribed by your doctor. Dont take sunosi if youve taken an maoi in the last 14 days. Sunosi may increase Blood Pressure and heart rate, which can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or death. Tell your doctor if you have a Heart Condition or high Blood Pressure. Sunosi can cause symptoms such as anxiety, problems sleeping, irritability, and agitation. Other common side effects include headache, nausea, and decreased appetite. Tell your doctor if you develop any of these, as your dose may need to be adjusted or stopped. Amazing things happen during the day. Sunosi can help you stay awake for whatever amazes you. Visit sunosi. Com and talk to your doctor about sunosi today. This Morning Golf Legend tiger woods is thankfully awake and responsive. That is the very latest update on his condition coming in overnight from his representatives. Hes recovering right now in a los angeles hospital. According to the sheriff, hes lucky to be alive. Thats easy to understand when you look at the video of the extensive damage left to his car after the crash. Doctors performed a lengthy Emergency Surgery yesterday to repair the serious leg injuries that woods suffered in the crash. Downing me is cnns dan simon who is at the crash site. First and foremost, what more are you learning about how tiger is doing and what hes going through . Reporter hi, kate. As you said, tiger is alert and responsive, a very positive sign after going through that very difficult surgery to repair the damage to his lower leg, lower right leg. Obviously were talking about a compound fracture, a break in many places, also severe trauma to his ankle. We did receive a statement from the hospital saying mr. Woods suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his lower right extremity that were treated during Emergency Surgery, both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by Inserting A Rod Into the tibia. Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. We also know that doctors performed a surgical procedure to remove the casings of the muscle to relieve pressure. I want you to listen now to an Emergency Physician who talked about that procedure earlier this morning on new day. In the moment it was determined that mr. Woods needed to go to the operating room, the surgeons likely believed that, if they did not perform one of those procedures to release that pressure, they actually were worried that he could lose the limb, that amputation might have been necessary. Reporter at this point we just dont know the overall prognosis for the use of that right leg, much less whether or not tiger woods will ever be able to play professional golf again. Hopefully well get more updates from the hospital, but, again, kate, alert and responsive, certainly a positive sign. Thats right. As i mentioned, youre at the site of the crash. What do you see there . Reporter well, i can tell you that traffic is moving normally here. In fact, you couldnt really tell that there was an accident here yesterday, a severe accident. I have to tell you, being here in person, kate, it gives you a different Vantage Point of what you see on television. This road here, hawthorne boulevard, a major artery through this community, has such a downward slope. We know tiger woods was speeding. Just how fast he was going, we dont know. The real question remains how and why did he lose control of that vehicle. We know that he was traveling again at a high rate of speed. Hopefully investigators will be able to speak with tiger at some point or perhaps they can talk to his representatives. We do know he was pinned in that vehicle. They used a pry bar and axe to get him out and put him on a backboard and take him to the hospital. As we heard from the sheriff, he was wearing a seatbelt. That likely saved his life. One question came up, where was tiger going . He was headed to a country club. He was doing a series of shoots with golf digest and he did one shoot over the weekend with celebrities like dwyane wade and david spade. He was going there yesterday morning to do a followup shoot with other celebrities, including apparently an nfl quarterback. He was traveling again at a high rate of speed. We dont know how fast. But thats when the accident occurred. Kate dan, thanks for the update. Appreciate it. Joining me is Sports Columnist for the Washington Post, sally jenkins. Her column on this today is head lined tiger woods genius has never been a free gift. Now his only task is to heal. Sally, you write beautifully about all of this. I was taken by your column today. I want to read more about what you wrote. You wrote after the relief of knowing that hes alive, what comes next is disresponse dense for him, that he has to undergo it all again, the knife, the small steps and the ceaseless questions with the world watching and asking him for another comeback, but not really understanding what it takes from him and out of him. What has it taken out of him and from him . Even before this accident, he had had ten surgeries. Hes only a 45yearold man. Hed had five procedures on his left knee and five procedures on the disc in his back. Thats the price for all these years of brilliant golf. Hes had his psychic injuries. Hes dealt with Substance Abuse and gotten a grip on that. Hes had a lot of battles over the years. Thats why it was so gratifying to see him healthy and whole and win the masters in 2019 and be able to pick up his son and look like a strong, healthy, whole man again. Its just its disheartening im sure for him and his family and for all of us who have been watching all these years. It brings, also, into stark relief what you write about once again, which is just the burden of greatness on woods and other elite athletes that youve covered for many years. Tiger woods doesnt have anything left to prove as a golfer, but do you think i kind of wonder after reading your column, do you think he knows that . Well, this is how these people are built. Theyre given this great gift and they feel enormous responsibility to live up to it and to really exhaust it. Thats why tom brady is winning his seventh super bowl at the age of 43. Tiger woods i think has felt an enormous responsibility to live up to what he was given. Thats an admirable thing, but it can take a lot out of you. Ive interviewed andre agassi over the years or a cris everett over the years. Theres a heavy price to pay for gifts distributed unequally. Theres no freedom in that life. You really are bound by your talent, and so its a difficult thing for the rest of us to understand. For instance, with tom brady, so many people have been saying why doesnt he retire or why would he change teams at the age of 43. Its because they really cant bear to feel theres anything at all left in the tank. They feel an enormous urge to finish. Part of the legend of tiger is that he has proven that you can never and should never count him out, right . He won a major with two Stress Fractures and a torn acl. Ive got my first back injury in my life and i can barely walk, let alone swing a golf club. Do you think fans owe it to tiger to stop asking him for a comeback . Although, again, we shoulder never count him out. Thats part of what i wrote in the Washington Post this morning, its time to let him go at his own pace, and maybe we shouldnt ask him for one more comeback. Look, it could take him four or five years just to regain his ability to be functional on that leg. We dont know the full extent of those injuries, but alex smith, the washington nfl quarterback took two years and 17 surgeries to recover from a similar type of fracture. The Author Stephen King has said it took him five years to recover from these sorts of injuries. The outside window for winning a major championship in golf has been about 48 years old. That doesnt have to remain true. And another thing about the way these champions are built is they do like to be told they cant do something. They do like to have new incentive in that way. They do like to be presented with fresh obstacles. So you really cant ever say that tiger woods wont play golf again, because thats not how hes built emotionally. He will probably try. So interesting. You remind me of how Michael Jackson reacted michael jordan, im sorry, reacted in the last dance. Thats exactly what drives his moment is when you tell him he cant. Sally, thanks for coming in. President bidens covid Relief Package is heading towards a first vote in the house, but critical votes from at least two democrats in the senate, they are still in question. The chairman of the House Budget Committee is our guest next. The fastest 5g in the world. Available in parts of many cities. Its not just a great network. Its ridiculously fast. vo stream your favorite shows in ultra hd. Im so excited about this. Streaming is crystal clear. Select unlimited plans get the disney bundle included and discovery on us. Yes buy Samsung Galaxy s21 5g. Get one on us. Only on verizon. To support local restaurants, weve been to every city. Including little rock and even worcester. And tonight. Ill be eating the chicken quesadilla from. Tonys tex mex. In. Katy. doorbell giggle do ya think they bought it . Oh yeah. You can try to predict the future or you can create it. Do ya think they bought it . Were driving it. Everywhere. We emit optimism, not exhaust. We plug in our vehicles as naturally as we charge our phones. We. We are generation e. We want smart. Clean. And safe. To also be fun, easy and powerful ultium a battery that charges fast. Runs long. It fits everyone. Nobody will be left out. And that, changes everything. President bidens covid relief bill picked up a big endorsement. Cnns Phil Mattingly reporting more than 150 Company Executives are telling congress they support the plan. This includes google, United Airlines and lyft saying previous federal relief measures have been essential but more must be done to put the country on a trajectory for a strong, durable recovery. This friday, the 1. 9 trillion plan will get its first vote in the house where its expected to pass. Theres still a big fight going on, this time among democrats themselves. It really centers around the minimum wage. Two Influential Senate democrats, joe manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema oppose raising the minimum wage to 15 an hour. In a 50 50 senate, their votes could be the whole ball game. Joining me right now on what happens next, democratic congressman john yarmuth, chair of the House Budget Committee. Why are you laughing . Wemll, democrats never appea to form any kind of consensus. Were a big tent party, we have a very Diverse Group from a lot of diverse places. I think in the final analysis, what were talking about here, as those Business Leaders said, something that is essential to dealing with the Economic Impact of the pandemic and getting us through to the other side which, fortunately now, i think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But most everybody says its important to go big. The risk of going big is much smaller than the risk of going small. I think thats where we are. The question of the minimum wage is an important one, a major emphasis, initiative of the biden white house. Its certainly something that most democrats agree with. I think what Senator Manchin and senator sinema will have to decide, whether theyre going to vote and tank this entire measure over the disagreement over the minimum wage. I appreciate, number one, your nice spin on the fight going on in the democratic party. As you said, are manchin and sinema going to tank the whole package, i see where your position is on this. Youve said last time you were on you think 15 minimum wage is the way to go. But my question i wonder is your bigger problem right now the Senate Parliamentarian over can it pass muster, or is it joe manchin . Thats a separate issue. The process were using is called reconciliation. There are rules as to what you can put in a reconciliation bill, and one of the criteria is that whatever the provision is cannot increase the deficit past ten years, so after 2031. The cbo, congressional budget office, has said this would. I think we can make an argument that it wouldnt. Ultimately its going to be up to her, the Senate Parliamentarian. If she decides it cant be used, that resolves the issue. We would have to take it out of the final package. In the house, were going to leave it in, regardless of what she decides today. Were going to pass it on friday and the senate can deal with that when it gets over to them. Look, yoman chin would argue that his position isnt tanking the overall package. He just thinks its too much, too far. Hes been saying hes supportive of Something Like a lower race in the minimum wage, like 11 an hour or 12 an hour i know is being talked about, that would maybe help clear but then that puts you in the potential fight a potential fight and disagreement then with the progressives in your party. Is it worth it . Well, im sure there will be an amendment offered in the senate to have a lower target price. Remember, this is 15 ultimately in 2025. It initially goes to 9. 50 from 7. 25 and then inches up. But there will be an amendment. If it passes i think most democrats would vote for it anyway. I havent heard one democrat in the house say that if they ended up having to vote for a bill with no minimum wage or a lower target that they wouldnt vote for the whole bill. Well, thats the solution. Its a solution, and well see what the senate decides. But i dont know whether an amendment like that can pass in the senate. I dont know whether the republicans would vote for any increase in the minimum wage. Again, we can only control what were controlling here in the house, and were going to pass it with a 15 minimum wage and let the senate work its will. So, Senator Manchin, he has suddenly become the one of the most powerful people in washington. Hes tipping the balance likely on whats going to end up in the covid relief bill. He is potentially singlehandedly thinking one of bidens nominees for omb. Im just curious, youve been around a long time. What do you think of that kind of power in one member of congress . Well, i think its unfortunate. And i think also its unfortunate that he comes from a state which is not particularly representative of most of the country. Its a largely rural state and a minimal producing state. And so much of the gdp of the country comes from elsewhere. But it is what it is. Thats the construction of the senate. And its also the reality that we have a 50 50 split. Ideally, we would find some republicans who would vote with democrats on some issues. And i think that over the next few months were going to test that because if republicans take a position that theyre going to obstruct everything that democrats want to do, everything that the Biden Administration wants to do, then you have to seriously consider making changes in the filibuster and being able to pass things as were doing with reconciliation with a simple majority. And of course Senator Manchin says he doesnt want to eliminate the filibuster, too. So, question, hes holding a lot of cards right now. John yarmuth laying out the filibuster threat. Lets see what happens on friday. Coming up for us, three of President Bidens nominees facing a real uphill battle to confirmation. Update on that, next. A former army medic, made of the flexibility to handle whatever monday has in store and tackle four things at once. So when her car got hit, she didnt worry. 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Right now, youre looking at live picture from capitol hill. President bidens pick. Shes in the midst of the second day of her confirmation hearings. Shes one of three nominees facing Serious Uphill battles right now. Just this morning both committees tasked with considering the president s choice to lead the Office Of Management And Budget have postponed their votes. Not a good sign for neera tanden. Her nomination has been hanging by a thread. Lets get a sense of what the next few hours really could bring. Manu rajus got all of that for us. Manu, what are you hearing about the delay in tandens nomination . Shes in real trouble. Theres serious chance of this being the first biden nominee to collapse. She needs of course 50 votes in the United States senate in order to have Kamala Harris come and break a tie. She is not at 50 votes yet, in large part, because of two senators, one in particular this morning significant, kristen cinema, shes a democrat from arizona. She sits on one of the two committees that is responsible for voting on tandens position. Sinema has decided to delay at the last Second A Vote on the nomination in order to give her more time to consider the nomination im told from multiple sources familiar with the matter. I just also reached out to her office. They said they are not going to comment yet on her position on whether to support neera tanden. So the white house is not yet pulling back on the nomination, hoping that sinema will vote yes. If she votes yes, then the question becomes will any republicans break ranks and join her. Because joe manchin, the democrat from West Virginia has indicated he will oppose her. So all eyes will focus on lisa murkowski, the alaska republican senator, who this week has refused to say how she will come down. She said she wanted to wait until the committees vote to make her decision known. If sinema is a yes, then well see what murkowski does. Tanden who theyre concerned about for her past record, her more progressive and liberal views and also her tweets that have attacked them over the years. She has apologized for those tweets in her confirmation hearings. But now republicans say that is simply not enough. And youre seeing them line up against her as well as with that one democrat, joe manchin. Yeah, joe manchin getting a lot of attention for many different ways. Lets stand by to see what happens in the next few hours with that nomination because things could be changing. Really appreciate it. And thank you all so much for joining us this hour. Im kate bolduan. The news continues, and john king picks up our coverage right now. Hello, everybody and welcome to inside politics. Im john king in washington. Thank you for sharing what is a very busy news day with us. Big news in the coronavirus fight. The fda now says Johnson Johnson singleshot Coronavirus Vaccine clears its bar for emergency use. Final authorization from the fda should come a bit later this week. A green light there would add millions more doses to the critical vaccine push. Priority one now for a Biden Covid Team that just moments ago gave a pandemic update. One of the most impactful things we can do is wear a mask. And this is so important during this critical period where cases are declining but variants that spread more easily are