captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org president-elect said today's economy is grim due to 245,000 jobs added. slowest. and u.s. is 10 million jobs of the pre-covid economy. he says it doesn't have to stay that way if congress acts soon.

president-elect biden: this is one of the worst economic and job crisis in modern history, but it doesn't have to stay that way. if we act now, now, i mean now, we can begin to regain momentum and start to build back a better future. there are no times to lose. millions of people have lost their health insurance or in danger of losing their health insurance. one in six renters is behind in rent. one in four small businesses can't keep their doors open. and there is a growing gap in black and latino unemployment and the gap remains much too

large. deeply troubling that last month's unemployment was driven by people dropping out of the job market, not because they were being hired. they have lost hope of finding a job and taking full-time care giving responsibilities as child centers remain closed and children learn remotely. over the past three months, 2.3 million more people are long-term unemployed. meaning -- 23 weeks or more. by far, the largest increase on record. this is a dire jobs' report. this is a snapshot of up to mid-november, before the surge in covid cases we predicted and the deaths rise and we have seen in december as we head into a very dark winter ahead. for example, since october,

ties are down 21,000 educators. just as schools need more help in fighting against the pandemic. couple of days ago, i spoke with school crossing guard, a server, people,rant owner, good honorable people. decent, hard-working americans from across the country and reminded me of my dad who lost his job in scranton and moved the people to delaware outside of wilmington. he said i don't expect the government to solve my problems but expect them to understand my problems. but, folks, i'm talking about the folks out there not looking for a handout. they just need help. they are in trouble through no fault of their own.

nothing they did caused them to have hours cut or lose their job or drop out of the job market. but they need us to understand. we are in a crisis. we need to come together as a nation. we need the congress to act and act now. if congress and president trump failed to act by the end of december, 12 million americans will lose unemployment benefits they rely on. merry christmas. unemployment benefits to keep food on the table, lights on and heat on, pay their bills. emergency paid leave will end. moratorium on evictions will expire. states will lose the vital tools they need for testing and public health. mutt yourselves in that position. laying awake at night wondering what is going to happen

tomorrow. going to be harder for states to keep children in schools and small businesses around. states are facing large budget shortfalls this year. they laid off more than one million workers, even more teachers, firefighters, cops will lose their jobs unless the federal government steps up now. and all of this weakens our ability to control the virus if we don't step up now. emergency paid leave reduces the spread of covid because it allows people to stay home when they're sick. states and cities need funding to direct their covid response which is the way to end the economic crisis as well and only way to get people back to work. i'm not saying this situation is

urgent. if we don't act now, the future will be very pleek. americans need help and need it now and need more to come early next year. but i must tell you, i am encouraged by the bipartisan efforts in the senate around $900 billion package for relief. it's a bipartisan effort. as congress works out the details of this relief package, they have to focus on resources for direct public health responses to covid-19. we need meaningful funding for vaccines now so they won't lose time and leave people waiting for additional months. we need serious funding for testing now. we need to ramp up testing and allow our schools and businesses to operate safely. the sooner we pass the funding, the sooner we can turn the corner on covid-19. on the weeks since the election

ending, there were questions whether democrats and republicans could work together. i know you are skeptical about y view they will or can. congress and president trump have to get this deal done for the american people. any package passed in the lame duck session is not going to be enough overall. it's critical, but it's just a start. congress is going to need to act again in january. earlier today, i consulted with a number of my economic team, most of which have been announced by now and vice president harris and i announced that team last week. as we inherit the public health and economic crisis, we are working on a plan that we will put forward in the next congress to move fast, to control the pandemic, to revive the economy and build back better than before. we hope to see the same kind of

bipartisan spirit and cooperation as we are seeing today. our plan is based on the input from a broad range of people, the vice president-elect and i have been meeting with since winning this election last month, labor leaders and leading c.e.o.'s in the country, mayors and governors of both parties, parents, educators, workers, small business owners. there is a consensus. to battle covid-19, we have to make sure businesses and workers have the tools, resources and the guidance in health and safety standards to keep businesses and schools safely. it can be done. here's the deal. the fight against covid won't be won by january alone. to truly end this crisis, congress needs to fund more testing as well as a more equitable and free distribution

of a vaccine. we need more economic relief to bridge through 2021 unless this pandemic and economic cries sees are over. we need to build back better. i said it before, independent nalysis by moody's, a well respected wall street firm that millionwill create 18.6 good-paying jobs. reward work in america, not wealth. we are going to invest in infrastructure, clean energy and manufacturing, so much more. we will create millions of jobs and get the job market back on the path to full employment. this will raise income, reduce racial ces, advance equity and restore the middle class. look, bottom line, it's essential we provide immediate

relief for working families and businesses now, not just helping get to the other side of this painful crisis but to avoid an economic costs due to long-term unemployment and businesses failing. by acting now, even with deficit financing, we can add to growth in the near future. economic research shows, especially with low interest rates, not taking action, action i'm proposing, will hurt the economy, scar the work force, reduce growth and add to the national debt. look, i know times are tough. the challenges are daunting. but i know we can do this. we can create an economic recovery for all, for everybody. we can move from crisis to recovery and to resurgence. this is the united states of america.

we have done it before and we'll do it again. we will. i promise you. so i thank bipartisan group that is trying to put something together right now and we are going to need more bipartisan as we move on. god bless you guys and women who are doing this. god bless our country and may god protect our troops. i'll stop there and be happy to take some questions. reporter: mr. president-elect, what is the biggest task you will have when you enter office when distributing a vaccine? your team has started to meet with the trum administration to learn of their plans as you are set to inherit this task. are you satisfied with the current plans that are under way for distributing that vaccine? do you feel the federal

government is doing enough at this point? and what steps need to be taken when now and when the first vaccines go out? president-elect biden: they clued us on their planning how they plan to distribute the vaccine to the various states. but there is no detailed plan that we have seen any way as to how you get the vaccine out of a container into an injection syringe into somebody's arm and it is going to be difficult to be done and expensive proposition. for example, you know, we agree with their priorities that they have laid out so far, i do at least, my team is looking at with dealing with first responders and those in nursing homes and home care. first people on the list. but we also have to realize that we are in a situation where there has to be some equity in

the way this is distributed and that requires that right now, we are in a situation where you have leading cause of death for americans this week is covid-19. blacks and latinos are three times as likely to die if they get covid-19. the communities of color, it's a mass casualty event and you have to figure out how to make sure to get the vaccine to those communities. and delivering it to the wal-marts and other major drug chains does not get you into a lot of these neighborhoods and doesn't guarantee. so we have a lot of work to do. and there has to be the equity side of this has to be the important part of distribution. in addition to that, the cost of actually getting the serum into an injection, into a needle into

somebody's arm, takes a lot of people and a lot of folks to be able to get that done and we have to have a much better way than we have seen thus far as to how it is distributed. in some states, the governor of utah said i can take care of it in our conversation. that could be true, but in large states like california, texas, florida, it's not that easy. that's what we are working on right now. and that's why i ask dr. fauci to stay on and to be my chief adviser on this issue, but also to be part of the covid team. reporter: on your cabinet, you are facing a lot of pressure to add more diversity to your administration. you have civil rights groups and lawmakers pushing you to do this, to make sure that you make good on your promise. and look at your cabinet

announcements and include diverse. and i hone in on the big four, when it comes to secretary of state and treasury, you nominated a white man and white women. would you commit to nominating a person of color? president-elect biden: for each one of these jobs pushed to make sure there is greater diversity. when all is said and done and see i have announced and in the next several weeks, we will have it all out there. you will see significant diversity. i promise, it will be the sing the most diverse cabinet based on race and color, based on gender that has ever existed in the united states of america. reporter: no commitment on those spots? president-elect biden: it will be the most diverse cabinet in the white house as well as the

cabinet positions. reporter: democrats and republicans have been in a stale mate for several months as they have been negotiating and trying to talk about what kind of stimulus to put together. you were elected by more than 80 million people to break the log jam. can you talk about what you have done over the past several weeks to actually work with democrats and republicans speaking to congressional leaders to get them to agree on a stimulus package? and what do you say to senator sanders who have come out against the stimulus program already and said $900 billion deal is not good enough? president-elect biden: kind of stupid for me to tell you what i

did. it would be hard to do it again. i told you i was confident to get a bipartisan agreement on this stuff and i think we will, not just on this package but i think beyond and last thing i'm going to do is tell you how i go about this. i used to get asked the same thing when i was putting significant deals between democrats and republicans when i was a senator and vice president. let me asking you how did you get those sources that you got in order to get that story. it would be ridiculous for you to tell me how you did it. all i can tell you, there is a sufficient number of democrats and republicans in the united states senate along with significant votes coming out of the house of representatives to put together a serious package that will keep us from going off the edge here and provide the resources that are needed

immediately. it's not going to satisfy everybody. but the option is if you insist everything you are likely to get nothing on both sides. i think they are on their way to come up with a package that meets the basic immediate needs we have. i made it clear, it's just a downpayment. this is not in the deal. so i have been relativey good at negotiating over my career because i never, number one, reveal something that someone doesn't want me to and number two, i always keep my word. reporter: there are a number of progressives who have criticized this deal because it doesn't include the $1200 checks. what do you say about that. the american people who are hurting don't have anything in this deal and not getting any of

the zhruss that is in this deal. president-elect biden: it would be better if they have the $1200. but i'm not going to comment on the specific details. the whole purpose is make sure people aren't thrown out of their apartments, lose their homes or ununemployment insurance and feed their families and grow the economy nd be in a position where we provide help to localities to not lay offteachers and first responders and we are able to generate the kind of growth that is a consequence -- the costs a lot of money to keep schools and businesses open on the covid side of the equation. i think the proposal that quite frankly, the heroes act that the house passed, that's what i would support. but, you know, this is a

democracy, and you got to find a sweet spot where you have people willing to move in a direction hat gets us down the road. reporter: thank you, mr. president-elect. you are discussing this compromised bill as a downpayment. this is more than what republican leaders want to pay. what are your options to get americans additional relief? president-elect biden: i don't start thinking off that way. reporter: it has been more than six months. mitch mcconnell hasn't signed off on the compromised bill, what makes you confident that republicans will go big once you are in office?

president-elect biden: the country is going to be in dire, dire, dire straits if they don't. reporter: have you spoken to mitch mcconnell? president-elect biden: we will be in dire straits if we don't. reporter: thank you mr. president-elect. one in six renters are behind in their rent. you say the situation is urgent. when you come into office you expect to pass executive orders dealing with those issues and do you plan to pass trillions of dollars of aid when you say we need to go big or looking at trillions of dollars? president-elect biden: we are looking at hundreds of billions of dollars. and look, again, i have learned after hanging in this business

for a while, last thing you do before you go into negotiations is lay down a drop-dead marker. i think there is a lot we can get done and i think people are going to see the overwhelming necessity. there are a lot of folks who represent republican districts find that republican neighbors are in real trouble as things get worse. they are going to find there is an overwhelming need. remember that i said that the experts we had, at least another 250 dead. and they said no. no. no. no. guess what? it's going to get much worse. it's going to get much worse. i believe there are enough republicans who will join enough democrats in the united states senate to get a majority along with the house to get it done, but we'll see. we'll see. reporter: on executive orderers

-- president-elect biden: i will issue executive orderers that are within the purview of an executive. one of the things i don't like -- i don't like people saying i can do the following things which there is no basis in the constitution which suggests that can be done. i can issue executive orders on pulling back some of the executive orders that trump put forward but i can't say we are going to spend dollars without congress properties and is responsible for distributing that money. reporter: on the covid vaccine, you talked about getting it to vulnerable populations and you said you will get the vaccine to get people to feel safe. people are saying he might have better health care than me. what more can you do to convince

people that the vaccine is safe for them and you will lean on existing members of the coronavirus task force and you are committed to getting dr. birx and dr. fauci. president-elect biden: there are a lot of people. and the task force will be expanded with fine people. and i think actions of presidents matter. and i'm going to say something that i think the african-american community and latino community that i have never misrepresented anything to them. i'm the oldest president ever elected, although actually i'm 47. but all kidding aside, my taking the vaccine and people seeing that is going to give some

confidence. but, i said early on, you may remember, i think you may have asked the question, i may be mistaken, i said early on, one of the things that bothers me most is the wild assertions that the administration is making how this is going to go away and inject bleach, it was diminishing confidence across the board and american people and particularly this administration in the african-american community and what i heard blocks from here, well, we are not going to be the guinea pigs. the fact of the matter is, they won't be. you will see tens of millions of americans taking the vaccine and three of the four living presidents taking the vaccine. it's all about -- and look, it's going to take some effort to

rebuild confidence in science because it has been so diminished in this administration thus far. but i will -- and by the way, in the meantime, i have to make sure that the vaccine is both free and available and that any follow-up on the vaccine is free and available, that relates to any health complications from it. there are ways we can deal with some of these issues. biden has good health care -- therefore, but i don't have health care. that is another thing i have been working on and have been working on. my hope is to re-instill confidence in being able to believe the president of the united states when he or she speaks. thank you very much.

reporter: what is your inauguration going to look like -- president-elect biden: so am i. reporter: what do you envision for your inauguration, a scaled-down event and take the oath on the front lawn of the capitol, a parade. what do you envision for your inauguration? president-elect biden: first and foremost, we are going to follow the recommendation and experts for people keeping safe. it is highly unlikely a million people on the mall. i think we'll see -- we are in discussion with the house leadership and senate leadership as to what they plan for the inauguration, particularly those 200 spots that they control. but i think you are going to see

something closer to what the convention was like than typical inauguration. first and foremost, to my objective is keep america safe and allow people to celebrate and celebrate and see one another celebrating. we are in consultation, my team is in consultation with folks who put on the convention as well as with our colleagues, republican and democratic colleagues in charge of the inauguration. my guess is there will not be a gantic inaugural parade down pennsylvania avenue but virtual activity across america engaging more people. but that is in training now. and i'm not in a position to give you an example of exactly hat it will look like.

but i promise you, it will be available either virtually or in person for many. and my guess is it will be a platform ceremony, but i don't know how it's going to work out. the key is keeping people safe. i can't do a super version of the president's announcement in the rose garden nationwide. it's just going to have to be more imagine in ative. but like i said, i think the convention we put on really opened up avenues that we never thought existed and i doubt there will be another democratic convention that it has always been. people want to celebrate and people want to be able to say we pass the baton and moving on and democracy is functioning. i wish i could tell you, but as

will bes are made, they announced.

you president-elect biden: infrastructure, dealing with health issues, dealing with the fight against cancer and zeeling with education. i think there are a number of things -- as i said before we've ot to take the vitriole out of politics. there are people on both sides who want to continue and go after the opposition, i get that. i get the fact that an awful lot of americans are disappointed that i was elected president. fortunately there are seven million more that are happy than disappointed, i get that. and there are democrats who are angry and want to strike back against republicans. i think i conducted myself this way throughout my career. i learned that early lesson. it's important to question

another man and women's judgment but not a motive. when you question a motive, you are in the pocket. let's do a deal on highways with no possibility. and so, when i've dealt with mitch mcconnell in the past as vice president or a senator, we haven't engaged in that activity. i'm not asking people to abandon their principles, but it makes no sense to engage in have it try ole and get to the place that we need a new infrastructure in america. it has nothing to do with jobs or a green economy. there are too many bridges that are going to collapse, too many roads in disrare. every time a state floods out, they flood their water systems

are polluted. these are common problems. and i'm confident, it's going to be hard and i'm confident we can get to a number of things. thank you all so very much. thank you. appreciate it. captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org president-elect biden: i don't think masks have to be mandated. i'm going to encourage people to do the right thing. in my inaugural speech, i'm going to ask people to commit to 100 days to wear a mask not because i'm asking tore any reason to punish. this isn't a political issue but has become one. if people do it for 100 days in the middle of a raging crisis,

they are going to see deaths drop off the edge and see hundreds of thousands of people not getting sick. and my hope is they will be inclined to say, it's worth the patriotic duty to go ahead and protect the people. thank you all so very much. -- indiscernible chatter]

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