Amid stimulus talks, Biden signs order to help factories

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taking whatever steps he can to galvanize the economy, President Joe Biden plans to sign an executive order Monday to boost government buying from U.S. manufacturers as he begins the negotiation process with Congress over a $1.9 trillion stimulus package.

The executive order is among a flurry of moves by Biden during his first full week to publicly show he's taking swift action to heal an ailing economy. Biden's aides have hammered the talking points that the country is in a precarious spot and relief is urgently needed.

But Monday's order will likely take 45 days or longer to make its way through the federal bureaucracy, during which time wrangling with Congress could produce a new aid package. That would be a follow-up to the roughly $4 trillion previously approved to tackle the economic and medical fallout from the coronavirus.

Biden's team held a call Sunday to outline the stimulus plan with at least a dozen senators, while the president has also privately talked with lawmakers.

An administration official, insisting on anonymity to discuss private conversations, said Sunday's call was constructive and gave Biden's team a chance to explain details of the proposal to lawmakers. Among the features of the stimulus plan are a national vaccination program, aid to reopen schools, direct payments of $1,400 to individuals and financial relief for state and local governments.

“There's an urgency to moving it forward, and he certainly believes there has to be progress in the next couple of weeks,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. She warned that action needed to be taken before the U.S. reaches an “unemployment cliff” in March, when long-term unemployment benefits expire for millions of Americans.

But Republicans on Capitol Hill were not joining in the push for immediate...