amna: turning back trump policies and tackling muttle crises, president biden marks one week in offers. >> this is a wartime undering. >> the white house works to ramp up vaccinations. >> this is a wake-up call to all of us. >> as the pandemic's deadliest month ends. president biden continues to call for unity but republicans remain divided on former president trump. >> this is nothing more than a partisan exercise designed to further divide the dunn. >> and concerns rise over continued violence on capitol. >> the enemy is within the house of representatives. >> next. ♪ >> this is "washington week." corporate funding is provided by

-- ♪ >> consumer cellular. kaiser pep innocenta. additional funding is provided by the estate of hair rolled adams and koo and patricia yuen through the yuen foundation. the corp ration for public

broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> good evening and welcome to "washington week." i'm amna nawaz. it's been just over one week sie president biden took office and he's already signed dozens of executive orders on everything from climate change to health care to racial equity. the nation, meanwhile, continues its battle against covid-19. nationally, infections have trended downward lately but new, more transmisable strains have been found in the u.s. over 3,800 died on thursday alone, bringing the total death toll in the united states to over 430,000 people. and concerns over the speed of vaccinations continues. >> the brutal trupte is, it's going to take months before we can get the majority of americans vaccinated. months. amna: a public health crisis, an

economic crisis and an opposition party at war with itself. the islanden administration is facing conflict on several fronls. -- fronts. joining us tonight, four reporters covering it all. garrett haake is correspondent for n news. weijia jiang is senior core responsibilities for news. and sarah -- sarah kliff and a nita kumar from polite come. sarah, i want so and you about the news that affects the entire country, the vaccine rollout. most states have issues with supply and distribution. what do we know about the biden plan moving forward? when will people out there watching be able to get their vaccines? >> it's an excellent question that i and millions of americans are wondering about. you do see the biden

administration setting up a plan that is a little more thorough than the trump administration. they're talking about the possibility of setting up mass vaccination neighings sites but the fact remains that it's going to take a while. this is going to be a months-long e. the bide administration does believe they've been able to purchase enough goes -- doses to vaccinate 300 million americans buy -- by this summer but that's aimeline when we've all been in quarantine for quite a while. they're ramping up but it's still a hard thing to vaccinate the entire country at much and it's going to stretch into much of this year. amna: president biden has much of his team in place. although his nominee to run h.s.s. has yet to be cob firmed. that's a key post when it comes to the covid response.

what deals are their working towards and where's the focus when it comes to cushing the pandemic? weijia: it really is trying to get as many spots -- shots in arms as possible. that means having to have the supplies to do it. from the vials to the vaccines. and the president talked about ordering more of the pfizer and moderna vaccines. they're making sure there aren't any points along the supply chain that are gog to be held up. that is rlly difficult because even kno the president has invoked the defense production act, it's different from compelling companies with contracts and they're in the process of working out those details and making sure they'll have what they need to get the shots in the arms and when it comes to the vaccine itself, it's tricky because there's a global demand for the same thing

so they have to think about what other countries have contracts too. but the big picture is very clear -- the president is making the pandemic his number one priority because when he talks about every ore crisis this country is faced with, he views it as being tangled up in covid-19. amna: anita, what about making those vaccines are getting to the people who need them most? we've all seen the disparities. we know that black and latino communities have been hardest hit. that's not where the vast majority of vaccinations have gone so far. does the biden team have a plan to close those gaps? >> yeah, nave talked about it a lot. the vice president has talked about it a lot. this is one of the issues she homes to help with but so much of what the president wants to above do with the vaccine is tied up with congress, with this massive bill. you're that you canning --

talking about vaccines. they want to open vaccine centers at stadiums and community. places around the country. that all takes money. that's why you're seeing the president talk so much about this bill he hope congress passes that's really not getting anywhere so far so so much of what h wants to do is tied up in the money and congress giving him that authority and money to do what he needs to do. we did see a lot of executive orders but a lot of that is things that he already could do or things that -- studying things or appointing people or having a commission. what he really needs now is for congress to pass a bill. amna: garrett, let me and y about congress. one of the clearest visual differences we've seen with the biden administration that a lot of people have noticed is just the masking. every time you see someone from the biden administration, they are masked. at photo ops, signings,

briefings. what about on capitol? there has been some division around there before. are lawmakers taking precautions? garrett: the vast majority of them are except on congress it's moving the opposite direction, in part because so many members phave gotten vaccination named. now members of staff are getting vaccinated. while it was controversial, particularly for younger members of congress to be some of the first in the country to get their shots, more and more are getting even their second doses and starting to move away from universal masking although it's the law of the land on capitol hill and will more likely be over time as more and more people start to come to the complex. amna: the more contagious strains have made their way to the u.s. how has that complicated or

changed the u.s. pandemic response? >> i think it just heightens the importance of getting those shots in arms as quickly as possible. you're setting up a race between the variants and the vaccines. that was highlighted by "newsweek" today showing that some of the newer vaccines colingology -- rolling out. johnson and johnson, are less effective against some of these variants. it makes it so much more important to have widespread vaccination quickly because you want to cut these vaccines off a at the knees. you don't want them to get too far into the country. i think it makes next month or so a really critical period and heightens everything the biden administration is trying to do. getting shots into people is so much more important when you have these variants that are more contagious tarmenting to circulate in the country. amna: the effects of the pandemic and the recession ripple across the country. millions of americans are

struggling to stay safe and fed and in their homes and the country's g.d.p. is shrinking more than since world war ii. just yesterday, house speaker nancy pelosi said this about the hope of a bill. >> we would home we would have bipartisan people to moo elt the needs of the american people in terms of health, equitable distribution of the vaccine, tracing and treatment, etc. but also to meet their economic needs. so we would home that but we're not taking any tools off the table should they not. amna: garrett, what is the latest on that bill? how soon will americans get the help they need from congress? garrett: it's going to be a while and even while the administration and speaker pelosi are talking about the importance of bipartisanship, everything we're seeing lawmakers do on capitol suggest th democrats are going to try

to do it alone. that will take more time. they have to pass a budget resolution. it's a much more technical thing to get something across the finish line but when you look at what's in this bill. hundreds of bills for state and local governments, those standed, direct relief checks at $1, 400 a pop, expanded unemployment benefits. ose are flings that were probably going to get the 10 republican senators that democrats would need had a president trump proposalsed it. it's unlikely to be the case under president biden. i think it's a warning to runs. -- republicans. you can be on this train when we pass this bill or not be on this train. but democrats seem likely to go on with it. na: they've been asked about their willingness to bak up the package potentially into multiple bills.

do we know what they're able to compromise or cut to get team people the health they need? weijia: the white house has made it very clear and the president himself that there they are not interested in cutting ts deal up and have a more narrow deal to address some of the more immediate needs because they really feel that this enre package is needed for the long term to salvage it. today president bide was with his treasury secretary saying the time to act is now because there could be a real scar left on the economy if we don't invest this money and if we wait. so they've made clear, as garrett was saying, that they want to pass this deal and they don't really see that there's another option to wait any longer, to wait for some sort of compromise to happen. but this is challenging for president trump -- excuse me,

fourears of coverinone administration -- for president biden, of course, because he has preached from day one the importance of yuvenety, not only for the country but for these two parties that could not be more divided and going at it alone for his very first piece of major legislation sets a tone about what he is willing to do without republicans. so, of course, their nber one zpwome is to find the support they need but it just doesn't look like it's going to get there. amna: sarah kliff, we've seen president biden moving ahead with things he can do alone. signing new executive orders realitied to health care, specifically expanding access to the affordable care act. what's the potential impact of that? sarah: this will be a new open enrollment period on the health care governor marketplaces. it's essentially a do over on

the open enrollment period, which just closed in december. the biden administration didn't like how the trump administration ran it. there was no advertising. this will be a new chance for the biden administration to tell americans the market police stations are open. you can shop for coverage. there are about four million people out there who could be eligible for no-premium plans. they're trying to rea that population. we think the number will be small, not giant. i think this goes back to our earlier conversation. you'd see a lot bigger impact if you could increase the subsidize to draw people in, make premiums more affordable. that requires congressional action. that part is caught up in congressional negotiations so this is what the biden administration can do on their own to strengthen the affordable care act and it suggests a posture from the biden administration that they

obviously care about this law. joe biden thinks obamacare is quite important and he's essentially announcing it's stl open for business and we're going to keep supporting it. amna: that is sarah kliff reporting there. thanks so much. always good to see you. sarah: thank you. amna: turning back to capitol hill and some of the forces at play. there is a split among republicans whether to denounce or erase the lie the president said about the white house being stolen. one week after the attack, house speaker mccarthy said this. >> the president bears responsibility for the attack by rioters. amna: one week after, that mccarthy changed his tune. >> do you believe that former president trump provoked? >> swrobblings if you listen to

what he said at the rally. amna: and this week he met with former president trump, sending out this photo. what do we know about what the two talked about and particularly for mccarthy, why was in meeting important? garrett: they seem to have agreed that former president trump is going to be front and center of the house republicans, at least their attempt to recapture e majority in 2022. we saw this conversation at mar-a-lago. both sides put out statements talking about the former president's centralty to the republican mission and look, this suspect challenge for republicans on capitol hill from a political perspective. what kind of party do they want to be? do you want to be an old-school small sealed conservative like dizz cheney, a deficit and 34il8 torrey hawk. reit's a -- recast the party as a working class populist party as a josh hawley or rubio wants

to do or go full maga like a gates or kevin mccarthy? putting trump at the center of the house republican pn, we saw that essential any -- essentially in 2018 when donald trump was still president. how it looks there 2022 is anybody's belt and wheth it's a smart guess on the part of the party, i guess we'll see. amna: anita, what's important to understand about the relationship between mccthy and trump and the party moving forward? anita: you just need to look at the number of votes trump got. obviously he lost but he got 74 million american people to vote for him. a lot of them were going to vote for whoever the republican was or is but a lot of them voted for president trump. they weren't in the party before. nail want him, support him. it's about those votes out there.

the republican party does not want to lose those votes. they want them for the mid-term elections. they see they could possibly get the house back and they need president trump. he has been pretty quiet since leaving can -- the white house but you've already seen him put out some statements fro his new office. hire some people. he'll be in the news at statements and political events. they know he's going to be out there. you're already seeing the people, the republicans that were opposing him that voted against him on impeachment, those 10 republicans, they've seen this enormous backlash back home so what people are looking at is the totally of donald trump's influence on the party and they're seeing right now, anyway, it's better to stick with him. amna: and there is a little bit of a reckoning within the entire republican party, how to handle members who have embraced dangerous conspiracy theories

and en shovene support for some. during marjorie taylor green's congressional campaign last year she posted in photo of her with a gun along with liberal members of congress. that has since been roved. and this from 2008, following david hall, a supporter of the parkland's school shooting. >> why are you supporting gun laws that attack our second-amendment rights and why are you using kids as a barrier? >> he' a coward. he can't say one word because he can't dend his stance. amna: green had shown support online for people calling for violence against democrats. how are lawmakers responding to all of this? weijia: it is concerning because

it is a polarizing people you would think that people would be able to immediately reprimand but so far we have seen mixed reactions and that is something that both parties, i think, are going to have to reckon with. but i think garrett, having talked to many of tse lawmakers much more often than i do can speak more to how ty're trying to deal with this. again, from the outside, it seems -- you know, the evidence is there. knost -- there's no question about what we e seing and hearing. i will say that the white house and president biden so far have not weigh in. in fact, they've been pressed about this and have said we aren't going to say anything because we don't want to fuel anything that has to do with conspiracy theories at are so dangerous to our democracy. amna: garrett, what has been the broader response to in, especially amid concerns about continued violence. homeland security issued a warning about potentially more

violence in washington. garrett: some people think she's downright dangerous. new member of congress corey bush said she's going to move her office in the capitol so she wasn't so close to ms. green. democrats are calling for her to be censured or expeled. republicans have been mostly silent about some of her more controversial statements and behaviors. they're not sure what to do. there's been no effort to reprimand her or change her tune. it's been reported tonight that kevin mccarthy was going to have a conversation with her next week. but even tonight, green doubling down on her combat active style. this isn't new. she was an internet troll before she won for congress. she was ultimately unopposed but she comes from one of the most

republican-leaning districts in the country. she could hold that seat for a very long time and speaker pelosi said it's going to be up to republicans to decide whether or not to rein her in. democrats will hang every statements she makes around her neck come 2022. amna: what does this mean for president biden moving forward? there are clear fish yours in the republican party, ring tensions on capitol hill. that was -- does that mean for bideen and his agenda. weijia: it makes it even more difficult. even know the democrats have the house and senate by very, very narrow margins. he needs to get some republicans on board. he already unveiled a expensive immigration bill in his first 24 hours. he does need some of that supports but they are fractured. hiss own party is swlalt fractured as well. wear used to both of those

things and it makes it much manufacture difficult for him. it does seem that reality is setting in a little bit. you see president biden talk about unity, you're starting to see that house speaker pelosi, senate majority leader chuck schumer talking about going it alone. we don't need republicans. they're not on the same page. all the things president biden said about unity, the reality is setting in he's going to have to get some things done and that means they might have to go it alone as much as they can. amna: of course there's an impeachment trial looming. people have tried to get president biden to acts or weigh in on it. has he done so? weijia: the furthest he's going so far is saying he does think the trial has to hpen because the effect oft not happening would be even worse because you cannot allow anybody to do what

president trump has done without any consequences. however, he, as we've been talking about all nights, has so many things that he needs to get done up on capitol hill, so it is a time set, which he has acknowledged himself. he said somehow he hopes lawmakers will be able to split up their work days to do it all but this comes right in the middle of passing his number one priority, which is that huge stimulus bill. the white house is quick to say, look, he is the president of the united states. even though he's the leader of the democratic party, he's so focused on trying to bring these two sides together and president trump has a lot of spureltsers who are upsets that he's going through yet another impeachment trial. amna: on tom of multiple crises in the country. there's a lot to cover but we

have to leave it tonight. my thanks to you, garrett, weijia, anoipt -- anita for joining me with your insights and thank you out there for joining us well-. -- as well. for more questions and challenges for our country ahead. we're going to try to bring you answers we've week -- a each week from right here in washington. look at "washington week" extra with a deeper look into president biden's first week in office. i'm amna nawaz. for now, good night from . ♪ -- washington. ♪ announcer: corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by

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crowd: on strike, shut it down! man: there's a strike going on here! gordon: it felt like the world was about to explode. dan: retuning vietnam veterans were telling us the truth about what was going on. scott: how do these atrocities get to be committed? brenda: it felt great to be a part of this incredible ground-swell that was just enveloping the country. laureen: we wanted to start a school of ethnic studies to tell the true histories of the people who contributed and built this country. edillor: filipino's were here, and we made a difference. alex: they create the united farm workers and they became, in a sense, the west coast civil rights movement. if a lot of people put their mind to it, they can win. man: it was the first time the voices of asian people in our generation were coming out. nobuko: it was like a genie coming out of the bottle,