President Joe Biden made his first visit to Ohio as president Tuesday.
Biden stopped in Columbus to celebrate the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, which was passed during his tenure as vice president to Barack Obama, and visit the Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital, which recently received an ACA-tied grant for $100 million in radiation oncology upgrades.
“This place is a source of hope,” the president said Tuesday evening, thanking doctors and staff at James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
The president also acknowledged Monday's mass shooting at a Boulder supermarket that left 10 people dead. Noting that he had been on the phone with the attorney general and the FBI director about the shooting, Biden also commended the “heroic actions” of Officer Eric Talley, who died while responding to the shooting.
Biden touted several provisions of the American Rescue Plan during his visit, and said the U.S. will have, by the end of May, roughly 600 million doses of coronavirus vaccines, “enough for every American.”
By tomorrow, Biden said, the U.S. will have distributed 100 million $1,400 direct payments for COVID-19 relief.
“There’s so much more, but help is here,” the president said.
Before Biden's visit, state leaders discussed Monday how the American Rescue Plan's Child Tax Credit has helped Ohio parents.
Rep. Janine Boyd, Children's Defense Fund Ohio Executive Director Tracy Nájera, Women's Public Policy Network Managing Director and Columbus city council member Elizabeth Brown discussed the Child Tax Credit and how it will help Ohio families.
A study from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said the Child Tax Credit will help the parents of nearly 2.4 million Ohio children afford expenses like rent and food. The same study found it will lift almost 300,000 Ohio children above the poverty line.
The Child Tax Credit begins in July 2021 and is a monthly payment of $300 per child under 6 years old and $250 per child under 17 years old. This credit could help the almost 40% of children in the City of Cincinnati who live below the poverty line.
"Everyone hates the idea of child poverty," Brown said. "I think that it only becomes that much more personal when you've had the experience as a parent of meeting your child's needs and understanding the desperation that parents must feel when they cannot meet that need."
Biden departed from John Glenn International Airport in Air Force One just before 7 p.m.
