Columbia’s Benjamin among mayors who met virtually with VP Kamala Harris on Wednesday
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin was among a group of Black mayors from across the country who met virtually with Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday.
Members of the national African American Mayors Association participated in a virtual call with Harris, with the focus being on the Biden administration’s proposed $1.9 trillion COVID relief package, dubbed the American Rescue Plan.
Benjamin said there were 105 mayors from the AAMA on the virtual meeting, including others from South Carolina. Mayors from South Carolina on the call also included Holly Hill’s William Johnson, Orangeburg’s Michael Butler, Vance’s Michael Aiken, Salley’s LaDonna Hall, Swansea’s Jerald Sanders and Norway’s Tracie Clemons.
“The vice president is incredibly engaged in all aspects of the American Rescue Plan, with a key eye on an equitable recovery for our small businesses, schools and our families,” Benjamin told The State. “(Wednesday’s) call reassured local leaders across the country that there is a thoughtful, compassionate path to our new normal and that we have the leadership to get us there.”
The third-term Columbia mayor has been on-record supporting Biden’s COVID relief plan. In January he was one of a number of mayors who signed a letter to Congress urging it to approve the package, specifically pointing out the proposed $350 billion in direct relief for state and local governments in the president’s pitch.
Harris told the assembled mayors Wednesday that she knows budgets are tight in municipalities across the country amid COVID-19.
“Thousands of cities are dealing with budget shortfalls, revenues are down and expenses are up, and I know that that is making it difficult to keep essential workers on the job,” Harris said. “In fact, we have found that 1.3 million state and local government jobs in the past year have been at risk.”
The vice president also pointed out to the mayors that the proposed COVID relief plan includes $20 billion for a national vaccine program that could include community vaccination centers and mobile vaccination units.
“The heart of the plan focuses on vaccinations, which of course is the only way we’re going to get schools and businesses back open in a very real way,” Harris said. “And to do that, we need to make sure America is vaccinated.”
