Vice President Kamala Harris has landed in New Jersey to promote the need for coronavirus vaccinations and highlight the child care provisions of President Joe Biden’s spending proposal.
The visit takes place as the Tri-State area prepares for the impending expansion of the vaccine eligibility pool.
As reported by abc7ny.com, Harris arrived Friday morning at Newark Airport and was greeted by Governor Phil Murphy, First Lady Tammy Murphy and other officials before taking part in a roundtable discussion at Montclair State University to push President Joe Biden’s early childhood education plans.
She presided over the roundtable with Governor Murphy, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, and five educators where she highlighted “the significance of supporting our children, supporting our parents.”
The Vice President also made a pitch for the child care funding in the Build Better Act. “Our nation is strongest when everyone is able to participate,” she said. “This is fundamentally what the issue is about when it comes to working parents.”
Today, @VP and I visited a COVID-19 vaccination site at Essex County College in Newark. Every shot gets us closer to ending this pandemic and moving forward to brighter days ahead. Get yours: https://t.co/DpwxnEAPpS pic.twitter.com/4SVg19u8Fk
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) October 8, 2021
The Biden administration is pushing for expanded child care as part of the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package that is being held up in Congress.
You can read: Murphy: Vaccination for school students “on the table”
Harris visited the vaccination site at Essex County College where she thanked workers. “I wanted to come by and thank you all for your work,” she said. “You guys are holding it down, and you’ve been holding it down. So thank you all, it means so much. I know it feels endless, but it’s not. There will be an end to this.”
Doing the right thing
She watched people receive the vaccine, telling them they were doing the right thing. “It will save your life, it’s free, it’s safe,” she told one recipient. “It’s about you, and it’s about everyone around you. This is an expression about love thy neighbor.”
“New Jersey is one of the top 10 states in the country because of vaccines,” she said. “The challenge is, this is one of the most densely populated states. So it’s not like it’s easy to do it.”
More than 700,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 as the delta variant spread, even as millions of others refuse to get the vaccine.
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