Biden Offers His Vision Of A Stronger American ‘Rising’ From Pandemic
“I can report to the nation: America is on the move again,” President Joe said during his first congressional address, largely influenced by the coronavirus crisis. “Turning peril into possibility. Crisis into opportunity. Setback into strength.” To get there, he touted his plans for health care and infrastructure.
NBC News:
'On The Move': Biden Urges Congress To Turn 'Crisis' Into 'Opportunity'
President Joe Biden painted a nation on the mend, recovering from the pandemic but still in need of a boost from the federal government, in his first address to Congress on Wednesday as he seeks to shift his focus beyond the coronavirus pandemic nearly 100 days into his administration. Biden said he was there to speak to Congress not just about "crisis" but also about "opportunity," pitching $4 trillion of ambitious investments in the economy and social safety net programs that he argued were necessary to compete on the global stage and said would reduce deficits in the long run. (Egan, 4/29)
The New York Times:
Biden Seeks Shift In How The Nation Serves Its People
President Biden laid out an ambitious agenda on Wednesday night to rewrite the American social compact by vastly expanding family leave, child care, health care, preschool and college education for millions of people to be financed with increased taxes on the wealthiest earners. Invoking the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mr. Biden unveiled a $1.8 trillion social spending plan to accompany previous proposals to build roads and bridges, expand other social programs and combat climate change, representing a fundamental reorientation of the role of government not seen since the days of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society and Roosevelt’s New Deal. (Baker, 4/28)
AP:
Biden's Declaration: America's Democracy 'Is Rising Anew'
While the ceremonial setting of the Capitol was the same as usual, the visual images were unlike any previous presidential address. Members of Congress wore masks and were seated apart because of pandemic restrictions. Outside the grounds were still surrounded by fencing after insurrectionists in January protesting Biden’s election stormed to the doors of the House chamber where he gave his address. “America is ready for takeoff. We are working again. Dreaming again. Discovering again. Leading the world again. We have shown each other and the world: There is no quit in America,” Biden said. (LeMire and Boak, 4/29)
The New York Times:
Biden’s $4 Trillion Economic Plan, In One Chart
President Biden released the second portion of his economic plan on Wednesday: $1.8 trillion in new spending and tax cuts over 10 years for workers, families and children. That’s on top of the $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan he released at the end of March. Together, here’s what’s included. (Parlapiano, 4/28)
Biden on vaccines —
The Hill:
Biden Vows US Will Be 'Arsenal Of Vaccination' For Other Countries
President Biden on Wednesday vowed that the United States will become an "arsenal of vaccination" for the rest of the world to fight COVID-19."As our own vaccine supply grows to meet our needs — and we are meeting them — we will become an arsenal of vaccines for other countries, just as America was the arsenal of democracy in World War 2," Biden said in a speech before a joint session of Congress. But Biden said that won't happen until "every American" has access to a vaccine. (Weixel, 4/28)
Bloomberg:
Biden’s Speech Urges Vaccines, Skips Over Masks And Pivots From Covid
President Joe Biden’s speech to Congress focused heavily on the promise of a post-pandemic rebound, with only brief warnings of the virus’s staying power and slowing vaccination rates, and no mention of masks. Biden’s first speech to Congress on Wednesday was centered on policies designed to lead America out of the pandemic, including trillions of dollars in new spending designed to propel the recovery. But, as he touted his recovery plan, Biden didn’t dwell on the pandemic that has fueled the crisis in the first place. He took note of its toll and pleaded with Americans to get their vaccine doses, but didn’t reprise any public health advice on masks or other measures and then pivoted swiftly to other policy initiatives. (Wingrove and Chen, 4/29)
More takeaways and fact checks —
The New York Times:
Biden’s Speech To Congress: Full Transcript
President Biden delivered an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Because of the pandemic, Mr. Biden spoke to a socially distanced audience of less than 200 lawmakers and officials, a small fraction of the packed audience that typically attends such an address. The following is a transcript of his remarks. (4/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden’s Joint Address To Congress: Key Takeaways
Mr. Biden touted the pace of vaccinations in his first 100 days and the passage of the $1.9 trillion Covid-relief package that sent payments to qualifying Americans. He said his administration’s handling of the pandemic was “one of the greatest logistical achievements the country’s ever seen.” (Parti, 4/28)
NBC News:
Five Takeaways From Biden's First Big Speech To Congress
In his first big speech to Congress on Wednesday, President Joe Biden repeatedly spoke off the cuff and made a populist pitch to "forgotten" voters, urging lawmakers to pass his multitrillion-dollar economic agenda. Biden sought to strike a balance between optimism and pragmatism, celebrating the progress in the battle against Covid-19, attributed to the widespread availability of vaccines and economic aid to struggling Americans, while emphasizing the magnitude of the task that lies ahead. (Kapur, 4/28)
The Washington Post:
Fact-Checking Biden’s 2021 Address To Congress
In his 64-minute address to a joint session of Congress, President Biden was on mostly factual ground when he stuck to the script. But he got in trouble when he ad-libbed some lines that stretched the truth. Here’s a roundup of nine claims that caught our attention. (Kessler, Rizzo and Usero, 4/28)
AP:
AP FACT CHECK: Biden Skews Record On Migrants; GOP On Virus
Taking a swipe at his predecessor, President Joe Biden gave a distorted account of the historical forces driving migrants to the U.S. border, glossing over the multitudes who were desperate to escape poverty in their homelands when he was vice president. In his speech to Congress on Wednesday night, Biden also made his spending plans sound more broadly supported in Washington than they are. The Republican response to Biden’s speech departed from reality particularly on the subject of the pandemic. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina tried to give the Trump administration credit for turning the tide on the coronavirus in what was actually the deadliest phase. (Spagat and Boak, 4/29)
KHN:
A ‘Dose Of Hope’? Fact-Checking President Joe Biden’s First Speech To Congress
In his first speech before Congress, President Joe Biden argued it was time to turn the coronavirus pandemic into a historic opportunity to expand government for the benefit of a wider range of Americans, urging investments in jobs, climate change, child care, infrastructure and more. Biden said that taxes should be increased on corporations and the wealthy to pay for new spending, as well as to address escalating inequality. “My fellow Americans, trickle-down economics has never worked. It’s time to grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out,” Biden said. (Jacobson, Sherman, Valverde and Knight, 4/29)
