Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, addressed a joint session of the United States Congress on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, the eve of his 100th day in office. It was his first public address before a joint session. Similar to a State of the Union Address, it was delivered before the

117th United States Congress The 117th United States Congress is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It convened in Washington, D.C., on ...

in the Chamber of the House of Representatives in the United States Capitol. Presiding over this joint session was the

House speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...

, accompanied by Kamala Harris, the vice president in her capacity as the

president of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...

―the first time two women and two Californians presided over an address to Congress, seated on the rostrum behind the president.

Background

Speaker Pelosi invited Biden to address a joint session on April 13, 2021, asking him to "share isvision for addressing the challenges and opportunities" of the time. Biden delivered his speech on the 99th day of his presidency amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and economic recovery, campaign to vaccinate Americans, ratification of the American Rescue Plan,

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

efforts to advance legislation on

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

, guns, social justice, and voting rights,

Derek Chauvin Derek Michael Chauvin ( ; born March 19, 1976) is an American former police officer who was convicted for the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chauvin was a member of the Minneapolis Police ...

's conviction in the murder of George Floyd, and planned withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

Security and public health measures

The joint session was designated a

National Special Security Event A National Special Security Event (NSSE) is an event of national or international significance deemed by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be a potential target for terrorism or other criminal activity. These events have ...

due to an ongoing security threat to Congress that began with the storming of the Capitol in January 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,

face covering A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practica ...

requirements and social distancing were used to protect attendees, and members of Congress were not allowed to invite guests, breaking with tradition. Measures were coordinated by the House Sergeant of Arms and Attending Physician. A limited number of members of Congress were in attendance; overall, 200 people were gathered in the House Chamber. No

designated survivor In the United States, a designated survivor (or designated successor) is a named individual in the presidential line of succession, chosen to stay at an undisclosed secure location, away from events such as State of the Union addresses and pres ...

was chosen because Cabinet members watched the address remotely.

Speech

Biden's address centered on his plans to expand the size and scope of the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

to create blue-collar jobs, raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, reduce economic inequality, and invest in early childhood education, community colleges, infrastructure, research, and technology in the fight against climate change. He cited the COVID-19 economic recovery and vaccination campaign as successes during his first 100 days in office. Biden used the word "jobs" 43 times during the speech. He proposed the American Families Plan, a US$1.8 trillion package that includes new spending on child care, education, and paid leave. He asserted that autocratic adversaries, such as Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, see political divisiveness among Americans as "proof that the sun is setting on American democracy" and that America is "too riven by hostility to effectively govern." On racial justice, he declared that Congress should pass the

George Floyd Justice in Policing Act The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 was a policing reform bill drafted by Democrats in the United States Congress. The legislation was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 2021. The legislation ai ...

, to eliminate

systemic racism Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of racism that is embedded in the laws and regulations of a society or an organization. It manifests as discrimination in areas such as criminal justice, employment, housing, healt ...

in housing, education and public health. Biden declared that the " forever war in Afghanistan" will end with the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Response

Republican Party

Republican

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Tim Scott delivered the party's formal rebuttal to Biden's joint address to Congress.

Working Families Party

Rep. Jamaal Bowman delivered the progressive response to Biden's joint address to Congress.

Viewership

Biden's speech, total cable and network viewers Scott's response, total cable and network viewers Broadcast networks Cable news networks

References

External links

Remarks by President Biden in Address to a Joint Session of Congress
at

whitehouse.gov whitehouse.gov (also simply known as wh.gov) is the official website of the White House and is managed by the Office of Digital Strategy. It was launched on July 29, 1994 by the Clinton administration. The content of the website is in the ...

* * by The White House
President Biden Addresses Joint Session Congress
on

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

Senator Tim Scott Delivers Joint Session Republican Response
on

Senator Tim Scott Delivers Joint Session Republican Response
(transcript) {{Portal bar, Modern history, Politics, United States 117th United States Congress 2021 in American politics 2021 in the United States 2021 in Washington, D.C. 2021 speeches April 2021 events in the United States Presidency of Joe Biden Speeches by Joe Biden Joint sessions of the United States Congress Biden speech to joint session of Congress, 2021 Articles containing video clips