President Joe Biden, taking the podium for his historic address to a joint session of Congress with two women sitting behind the President for the first time, emphatically called for Americans to work together to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.
“It’s never a smart idea to bet against the United States,” Biden said as he wrapped up a highly optimistic and forward-thinking speech.
Biden outlined a number programs he has already championed since he’s been in office and legislation that is still working its way through the Congress, calling on Republicans to join the Democratic majorities to pass a series of bills to protect voting rights; equal rights for women and the LGBTQ communities; promote infrastructure; and address the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.
Calling on the American people to continue their fight for the nation and for our democracy in the wake of insurrection and the pandemic, Biden said, “We have stared into the abyss of insurrection and autocracy, pandemic and pain, and We the People did not flinch.”
Biden continued to push for people to get vaccinated and practice common sense public health initiatives, saying that “there’s still no work to do to defeat the virus.”
Biden’s focus on this address to Congress promoted a series of initiatives that he said would stabilize the middle and working classes in the United States, enabling the largest portion of the population to enjoy economic growth.
Biden proposed four pillars of his American Families Plan:
- Access to good education, including two years of high quality preschool and two years of free community college as well as increasing Pell grants and funding for HBCUs.
- Access to quality, affordable child care, with no low- and middle-class income families paying more than 7% of their incomes for child care.
- Twelve weeks of paid medical leave for people to take care of their health issues or help family members in need.
- A $3,000 to $3,600 into pockets of American families by extending child tax credits to help 65 million kids in the US.
Biden called for higher taxes on corporation and the top 1% of people in the US, saying no family making less than $400,000 will have higher income taxes, raising the top tax rate on the top 0.3% to 39.6%, as it was during the George W. Bush Administration.
“Trickle down economics has never worked,” Biden said, “and it’s time to grow the economy from the bottom and the middle out.”
Biden stressed using the programs from the federal government on buying American products. His American Jobs Plan will target creating blue collar jobs, saying that 90% will not require a college degree and 75% will not require an associates degree. “American tax dollars will be used to buy American products and create American jobs.”
“Wall Street didn’t build the country. The middle class did,” Biden said. “And unions built the middle class,” he continued support the American Right to Organize bill to strengthen union membership.
Biden connected his to “moonshot” projects to bipartisan issues: his climate change policy is “about jobs,” he said. And he called for a new fight to find a cure for cancer: “I can think of no more worthy investment; I know of nothing that is more bipartisan. So let’s end cancer as we know it.” of law
Biden called for Congress to pass justice reform bills to reimagine law enforcement, saying “the vast majority law enforcement serve honorably,” which led Democrat Maxine Waters and Republican Jim Jordan to rise in applause. Biden called for Congress to get the George Floyd Police Reform Bill to be on his desk to sign by George Floyd’s birthday next month.
Biden also noted that foreign leaders of allied nation have asked him, “Yes, America is back, but for how long?” Biden also said that another threat to Americans must be addressed: that of white nationalism.
Biden also praised the Senate for passing an anti-Asian-American hate crime bill by 94-1; the one nay vote was Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley.
Some other highlights:
- Biden on gun control legislation, asking why hunters need a 100-round magazine: “Are deer wearing Kevlar vests?”
- Ted Cruz obviously falling asleep, with his eyes rolling into the back of his head.
- Biden calling for Congress to pass the equality bill, saying to transgender people specifically, “We’ve got your back.”
- No Republicans standing when Biden said his goal was to cut childhood poverty by half.
- “No reason blades for wind turbines can’t be made in Pittsburgh and not Beijing.”