President Joe Biden, just before his 100th day in office, will deliver his first speech to a joint session of Congress Wednesday night.
After decades of watching these speeches as a U.S. senator and vice president, Biden will deliver one of his own. It will also be a historic night: For the first time, two women will sit on the dais of the House Chamber.
In his speech, which will be aired on all major networks at 9 p.m. EST, Biden is expected to propose a $1.8 trillion plan that would significantly expand education and boost safety net programs.
The American Families Plan will cover national paid family leave, universal pre-kindergarten, free community college and subsidized child care. This follows the $2.3 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan the White House released in early April.
Because of the pandemic, only 200 guests – opposed to the traditional 1,600 people – will listen in-person. Security is also expected to increase since this speech comes about four months after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, who has been a close adviser to Biden, will be among the in-person attendees. The senator says Biden will speak about the country's "place in the world" and his belief in Americans' "ability to hear each other, respect each other and solve our problems."
"President Biden's inaugural address was about how he has confidence in the American people that we can hold together and we can make progress," Coons said. "And I expect to hear more of that positivity, more of that hopefulness. This has been an incredibly hard year."
Meredith NewmanDelaware News Journal, aka Delawareonline.com April 28, 2021
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April 28, 2021
Voices4America Post Script. Tonight is the night. That Delaware fellow will address a joint session of Congress. 9PM EDT tonight live-streamed and on network. Tune in! Post and share with friends! #BidenSpeech202
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