Biden to press for immediate economic 'rescue' package, economic adviser

President-elect Joe Biden intends to press Congress for immediate action on additional pandemic relief efforts when he takes office next week, including more direct payments to households, one of his top economic advisers told Reuters on Wednesday.

In an appearance at Reuters Next, Brian Deese, who will head the National Economic Council in the new Democratic administration, said Biden will lay out a two-track economic plan, one focused first on a "rescue bucket" of funds to help Americans weather the COVID-19 downturn and a longer-term recovery effort that aims to deliver on the Build Back Better plan he laid out during the president campaign.

Biden will unveil the plan on Thursday.

"This is a very precarious moment for our economy and our country right now," Deese said.