WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden (pic) was expected to use his first address to Congress Wednesday to call for an epic effort to make the United States fairer, funded in part by reversing Donald Trump’s tax cuts on the wealthy.
Speaking to a joint session of Congress on the eve of his 100th day in office, Biden will likely hail what on Tuesday he called “stunning” success in vaccinating Americans—a national effort that has transformed the country from coronavirus catastrophe to leader in global recovery.
But with solid approval ratings and a Democratic majority—albeit razor thin—in Congress, Biden feels he has momentum on his side to take on new challenges. Speaking on primetime television, he will promote what he touts as a plan of massive government spending to get the United States not just back on its feet but striding forward.
In the foreign policy segment, Biden “will talk about his commitment to reengaging with the world, taking America’s seat back in the world,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
At the center of his domestic agenda will be the unveiling of the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, funded by closing loopholes used by the most wealthy and imposing a top income tax rate of 39.6 percent, administration officials said.
“The president will be proposing a set of measures to make sure the wealthiest Americans pay the taxes that they owe, while also ensuring that no one making less than $400,000 a year will see their taxes go up,” one official, who asked not to be identified, told reporters. The spending plan, which will need approval by a deeply divided Congress, would pour money into early education, childcare, higher education and other building blocks in what the Biden administration argues will be reconstruction of the country’s battered middle class.
The goal is giving “help to American families, making transformative investments to rescue and rebuild our economy, and fundamentally showing the government can deliver for people,” Psaki said.
But this comes after Congress already approved a $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, injecting stimulus into almost every corner of the US economy, and is now debating a proposed $2 trillion-plus American Jobs Plan aimed at rebuilding national infrastructure.
The speech will also run through the rest of a lengthy Democratic wish list, including police reform, pro-immigrant reforms and gun control—some of the most sensitive issues in US politics and ones where Biden insists he can deliver.
Biden, as he likes to say, wants to “go big.” On Thursday, his 100th day, Biden will follow the speech by launching what Psaki called a “Getting America Back on Track” tour, starting with trips to Georgia and Philadelphia.
Vice President Kamala Harris will be taking the message to Baltimore and Ohio.
Psaki said Biden had been working on the speech for “weeks” and was now down to the final edits.
