Biden delivers first joint address to Congress

President Biden spoke in detail tonight about a range of topics — including the coronavirus pandemic, immigration and gun violence — during his first joint address to Congress.

If you missed the speech, here are Biden’s most notable lines:

President Biden spent the majority of his first speech to Congress on Wednesday discussing his economic and infrastructure plans for the nation, his foreign policy vision for America’s role in the world and the coronavirus pandemic and other health care issues, according to a CNN analysis of the address.

The President also touched on a wide array of major policy issues, including gun control, taxation, race and policing, and energy and climate, among others. But the speech largely focused on the economy and infrastructure — the subjects of Biden’s next major legislative push, a sweeping infrastructure package. 

During the address, Biden formally announced the second half of the two-part proposal: the American Families Plan, which would provide an additional $1.8 trillion federal investment in education, child care and paid family leave.

He also touted the administration’s roughly $2 trillion American Jobs Plan for improving the nation’s infrastructure and shifting to greener energy over the next eight years.

Here’s a look at approximately how much time Biden spent talking about different issues on Wednesday:

About half of Americans who watched President Biden’s address to Congress had a very positive reaction to the speech, and 71% said they walked away feeling more optimistic about the country’s direction, according to an exclusive CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.

The 51% who had a very positive reaction to Biden’s speech is a bit more muted than reaction to the first address from other recent presidents. Obama had the strongest first outing of the last four presidents, with 68% saying they had a very positive reaction to his speech, and George W. Bush in 2001 earned a similar 66% very positive. Fewer, 57% had a very positive reaction to Donald Trump’s 2017 address. 

About 6 in 10 said that Biden made the right amount of outreach to Republicans in his speech, while 38% felt he did not go far enough. Only 4% said Biden went too far. 

The audience of speech-watchers was a friendly one for Biden, as is typical of presidential addresses to Congress. Overall, the pool of people who watched the speech was about 13 points more Democratic than the general public and about 2 points less Republican. That tilt is similar to the partisan makeup of speech audiences for Barack Obama’s final three State of the Union addresses. 

Surveys were conducted by text message with 589 US adults who said they watched the presidential address on April 28 and is representative of the views of speech-watchers only. Respondents were recruited to participate before the speech, and were selected by a survey of members of the SSRS Opinion Panel, a nationally representative panel recruited using probability-based sampling techniques. Results for the full sample of speech-watchers have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5.4 percentage points.

Hear more from CNN’s David Chalian:

Video Ad Feedback

300fefd3-42e8-4f52-8e88-33a0024b39ec.mp4

07:12 - Source: cnn

President Biden delivered his first joint address to Congress tonight, and reactions from both sides of the aisle are already coming in.

CNN’s Chris Cillizza discusses the hits and misses from the speech.

Watch here:

Video Ad Feedback

4ab8c196-d840-4f7f-b630-51dd76ac9f34.mp4

12:16 - Source: cnn

President Biden said that 2 million women dropped out of America’s labor force during the pandemic, often “because they couldn’t get the care they need for their family, their children,” he added. 

Facts first: Biden is actually understating the number of women who left the labor force during the pandemic.

Seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that as of March 2021, there were 2.6 million fewer women in the labor force compared to February 2020, before Covid-19 took its toll on the economy. The government defines people who aren’t in the labor force as unemployed and not actively looking for a job. 

Women have been hit harder by the pandemic in part because they account for a disproportionate share of workers in sectors that have been most affected by the pandemic, including hospitality and leisure.

In September of last year, when school started again after the summer and many children needed help distance learning, the number of women leaving the workforce was particularly high. 

The employment-population ratio for America’s women stood at 52.8% in March, down from 55.8% before the pandemic but up from its low during the first wave of the pandemic when the economy ground to a halt. 

Sen. Joe Manchin, a key lawmaker in negotiations over President Biden’s infrastructure plan, said the President’s speech was “delivered well” but said of the package: “gotta see the details,” particularly on how it would be paid for.

Asked if the plan is too ambitious, the senator said he was “not going to speak on that until I see everything.” 

He said he’s seen “outlines” but not the details.

Manchin also noted the “bottom line is you have to pay for it so you have to look at the pay fors” and he wants the committees to do their work and make adjustments as needed.

A number of Democratic senators are cautious about the level of spending Biden has proposed.

For instance, when asked whether she was comfortable with the level of spending proposed, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, said, “Well, he’s putting out a vision — I think it’s up to Congress to decide whether we’re going to go along with all of it or what parts of it, and how we’re gonna do that.” 

“I haven’t read the fine details so I want to see that first,” Shaheen said when asked whether he was prepared to do that.

Shaheen did praise Biden’s speech and said now it’s up to Congress to decide next steps.

“I thought it was a wonderful appeal to America to continue to fight through the pain. I thought he had some really excellent calls to action, and certainly laid out a plan for how we compete and how we continue to, as he said, build back better,” Shaheen said.

President Biden said that “When I was sworn in on January 20th, less than 1% of the seniors in America were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 100 days later, nearly 70% of seniors in America over 65 are protected, fully protected.” 

Facts First: While the numbers on vaccinated seniors that Biden cites are largely true, and his administration has made great strides in vaccinating Americans, Biden has benefitted from timing. When he took office in January, vaccines had only just been made available and some seniors were only newly eligible.   

About 68% of people 65 and older are currently fully vaccinated, according to statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

While it is true that less than 1% of seniors had been fully vaccinated when Biden took office, that’s in part due to the fact that two of the Covid-19 vaccines had been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration for only a little more than a month.  

In the US, the first person received a vaccination dose outside of a clinical trial on Dec. 14 and Biden took office a little more than five weeks later on Jan. 20. The recommended time between the first and second shot of the Moderna vaccine is 28 days and 21 days for the Pfizer vaccines.  

After health care workers and those people who lived in long-term care facilities, people over the age of 75 were given top priority for vaccinations. 

CNN contributor Van Jones tonight praised Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s delivery of his rebuttal to President Biden’s speech, but called the senator’s overall message “nonsense” 

“I think they were smart to put Tim Scott up there, he’s sort of the Biden of his party in that he comes across warm, authentic, he tells stories… the problem isn’t the messenger, the messenger was great, but the message was nonsense,” said Jones.  

In particular, Jones took issue with Scott’s claim that “America is not a racist nation.” 

“He lost a lot of African-Americans by the tens of millions when he said America is not a racist nation,” Jones said. “You can say we are getting better, that we have come a long way … but it is clear that this country is still struggling with racism.”

“I thought he did himself a disservice by jumping that shark unnecessarily,” added Jones.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

01d20950-85db-486c-9924-793714794438.mp4

01:28 - Source: cnn

President Biden said, “When I was vice president, the President asked me to focus on providing help needed to address the root causes of migration, and it helped keep people in their own countries instead of being forced to leave. The plan was working. But the last administration decided it was not worth it.” 

Facts first: Biden didn’t specify the program, but it’s true that the Obama administration set up a program to provide safer pathways to the United States that was later terminated by then-President Trump.  

During his tenure as vice president, Biden led diplomatic efforts in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador after a growing number of unaccompanied minors from those countries began arriving in the US in 2014. The Central American Minors program was among the efforts.   

The program allowed children under the age of 21 with parents lawfully living in the US to seek entry into the country from their places of origin if they did not qualify for refugee protections but were still at risk of harm. It served as an alternative for parents who might otherwise turn to smugglers to bring their children to the US illegally. While it might not have helped “keep people in their own countries,” it was intended to keep them from being forced to try illegal, and dangerous, methods of immigration. 

There are mixed reviews on whether the program “was working,” as Biden said, given the urgent situations some children were facing. In 2017, the Trump administration ended the program, making it difficult to assess its effectiveness since it had only been in place for a limited period of time.  

The Biden administration has since announced it is restarting the program. 

Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina, used his speech tonight in rebuttal to President Biden’s address to Congress to discuss the racial progress the US has made.

He went on to say that “America is not a racist country.”

“When America comes together, we’ve made tremendous progress, but powerful forces want to pull us apart,” Scott said. “One hundred years ago, kids in classrooms were taught the color of their skin was their most important characteristic. And if they looked a certain way, they were inferior.”

“Today, kids are being taught that the color of their skin defines them again and if they look a certain way, they’re an oppressor. From colleges to corporations, to our culture, people are making money and gaining power by pretending we haven’t made any progress at all by doubling down on the divisions we’ve worked so hard to heal. You know this stuff is wrong. Hear me clearly, America is not a racist country,” he added.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

15f4e2e4-40ca-4f88-a4ea-f68be8815236.mp4

01:08 - Source: cnn

Republican Sen. Tim Scott attacked President Biden’s American Rescue Plan during his rebuttal to Biden’s joint session remarks to Congress. Scott called it a “partisan bill” and said the administration pushed Americans “apart,”

“Last year, under Republican leadership, we passed five bipartisan Covid package. Congress supported our schools, our hospitals, saved our economy, funded Operational Warp Speed delivering vaccines in record time. All five bills. Got 90 votes in the Senate. Common sense, found common ground,” Scott argued.

Scott discussed his personal experience growing up in a single-mother household and how the pandemic has “attacked” every ladder that help him become a success.

“Growing up, I never dreamt of standing up here tonight. When I was a kid, my parents divorced. My mother, my brother and I moved in with my grandparents. Three of us sharing one bedroom. I was disillusioned and angry and I nearly fell out of school but I was blessed. First by a praying mama. And let me say this to the single mothers out there who are working their tails off and making ends meet, and wondering it works, you can bet it is. God bless your amazing effort on part of your kids,” Scott said.

Scott recounted the “string of opportunities” that are only possible here in America that allowed him to follow his dreams and how he has “watched Covid attacked every wrung of the ladder that helped me up.”

“So many families lost parents and grandparents too early. So many small businesses have gone under, becoming a Christian transformed my life but for months, too many churches were shutdown. Most of all, I am saddened that millions of kids have lost a year of learning when they could not afford to lose a single day,” Scott said.

Many Democratic lawmakers were hesitant to open schools and were supportive of restrictions on gatherings during the height of coronavirus surges and prior to vaccines being available.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina criticized President Biden and argued he is failing to deliver on his promises in the GOP rebuttal to the President’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening.

“President Biden promised you a specific kind of leadership. He promised to unite a nation, to lower the temperature, to govern for all Americans no matter how we voted,” Scott said in his remarks.

“Our nation is starving for more than empty platitudes,” he said. “We need policies and progress that bring us closer together. But three months in, the actions of the President and his party are pulling us further and further apart.”

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, was selected by his party’s leadership to deliver their response, giving him a prominent national platform to speak to the country and the opportunity to draw a contrast between the GOP and Biden’s agenda.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is delivering tonight’s Republican rebuttal to President Biden’s joint address to Congress.

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, was selected by his party’s leadership to deliver their response, which will give him a prominent national platform to speak to the country and the opportunity to draw a contrast between the GOP and Biden’s agenda.

Scott has served in the Senate since 2013 and previously served in the House of Representatives representing his state’s 1st Congressional District.

The rebuttal speech serves as a chance for the party not in control of the White House to offer up a critique of the administration and an alternative vision for the country while highlighting a rising star in the party.

Scott is playing a critical role in the effort to weave together a policing bill that can pass the narrowly divided US Senate.

In the wake of George Floyd’s death last year, he drafted legislation aimed at overhauling policing, an effort that ultimately failed on the Senate floor. Now he’s at the center of a new bipartisan effort.

Scott’s discussions over a bipartisan Senate bill overhauling policing with Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California, the author of the House-passed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, have intensified in recent weeks.

Their goal remains crafting a compromise bill, according to a source familiar with the talks.

President Biden just ended his speech. It lasted 1 hour, 5 minutes.

Biden used his first joint speech to Congress to lay out an an ambitious progressive agenda, proposing up to $6 trillion in new spending for infrastructure, investment in America and more social safety net programs.

Biden also used the address to lay out a road map of what cooperation with Republicans could look like, saying spending government money on American goods and services was at the core of his infrastructure plan, a line which drew applause from both sides of the aisle.

The President also used the speech to lay out a plan how he would fund his agenda, saying the wealthiest Americans, millionaires and billionaires, must “pay their fair share,” drawing less applause from the Republican side of the aisle.

Sen. Tim Scott will soon deliver the Republicans’ rebuttal to Biden’s address.

During his closing remarks at his joint address to Congress, President Biden acknowledged the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, saying it was an existential crisis that tested democracy.

“As we gather here tonight, the images of a violent mob assaulting this Capitol — desecrating our democracy — remain vivid in all our minds. Lives were put at risk — many of your lives. Lives were lost. Extraordinary courage was summoned. The insurrection was an existential crisis — a test of whether our democracy could survive. It did,” Biden said.

But the President underscored that “the struggle is far from over” and that “the question of whether our democracy will long endure is both ancient and urgent.”

The President argued that “the autocrats of the world” are betting on American democracy’s demise.

“They believe we are too full of anger and division and rage. They look at the images of the mob that assaulted this Capitol as proof that the sun is setting on American democracy. But they’re wrong — you know it and I know it. But we have to prove them wrong,” Biden said. “We have to prove democracy still works.”

The President harkened back to World War II and President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s call for Americans to do their part.  

“That’s all I’m asking: that we do our part, all of us,” Biden said. “If we do that, we will meet the central challenge of the age by proving that democracy is durable and strong. Autocrats will not win the future. We will. America will.”

Watch here:

Video Ad Feedback

2aa02357-a247-499a-9abd-8556cb05653e.mp4

03:04 - Source: cnn

President Biden once again made a plea to Congress to act on gun control.

“I need not tell anyone this, but gun violence has become an epidemic in America,” Biden said. “Look, I don’t want to become more confrontational. We need more Senate Republicans to join the overall majority of Democratic colleagues and close the loopholes required in background check purchases of guns. We need a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines.”

“These kinds of reasonable reforms have overwhelming support from the American people including many gun owners. If a country supports reform, then Congress should act. This shouldn’t be a red or blue issue,” the President continued.

Democratic members of Congress have held strategy sessions to explore the most viable steps they could take on gun control, hoping to use public outrage about recent mass shootings as a catalyst for legislative progress.

But once again Democrats’ chances for success will hinge on the cooperation of West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who appears to be relishing his role as the lynchpin of virtually every legislative endeavor in the 50-50 divided Senate.

At this juncture, it remains unclear how much political capital either Biden or Manchin are willing to devote to gun control at a time when the nation is distracted by the pandemic, vaccine distribution, the economic recovery and Biden’s massive infrastructure bill, which is the administration’s primary focus at the moment.

Even when emotions were still running high after the Atlanta and Boulder shootings last month, Manchin made it explicitly clear to CNN that he did not support two gun bills recently passed by the House — one, H.R. 8, that would expand background checks on all firearm sales, and a second, H.R. 1446, closing the so-called Charleston Loophole that allows some licensed gun sales to be completed before a required background check is conducted.

Manchin said he still favored pressing ahead with the narrower compromise legislation expanding background checks that he crafted with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey after the Sandy Hook massacre. That legislation, which Biden advocated for as vice president, failed in 2013, and the new House-approved bills that Manchin opposes would go farther.

Beyond Manchin’s objections, there is no indication at this point that Democratic senators are on track to win the considerable GOP support they would need to overcome a filibuster on gun legislation

Earlier this month, Biden harnessed the powers of the presidency to advance a half-dozen executive actions on gun control, but they fall far short of the ambitious goals he outlined as a presidential candidate as the real fight still looms on Capitol Hill.

Read more about where things stand in Congress here.

See the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

9ab340e7-2f12-4e96-bd9c-c96f88a63d30.mp4

03:48 - Source: cnn

President Biden called immigration “essential to America” tonight while calling on lawmakers to take action on behalf of countless people eager for a pathway to citizenship.

“Let’s end our exhausting war over immigration,” Biden said during his first joint address to Congress. “For more than 30 years, politicians have talked about immigration reform and done nothing about it. It’s time to fix it.”

Biden’s immigration challenge: Biden has moved to reverse many of his predecessor’s anti-immigration policies, the consequences of those restrictive measures linger and have contributed to a massive backlog of nearly 2.6 million visa applications.

The backlog includes nearly half a million applicants who are “documentarily qualified” and ready for interviews, according to a recent legal filing by the State Department.

Backlogs in some immigrant-visa categories are 50 or even 100 times higher than they were four years ago, at the start of the Trump administration.

Some of the backlogs are due to restrictions imposed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. But some also spring from pre-pandemic Trump policies or actions that the Biden administration hasn’t unwound.

The Biden administration is still reviewing or hasn’t fully reversed some measures that slow or block processing, such as heightened background checks and questionable terrorism designations.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

226cdfc8-62db-4e9d-88c3-0027e7c47dc9.mp4

03:16 - Source: cnn

President Biden this evening urged lawmakers to take advantage of momentum created by the conviction of Derek Chauvin and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act for police reform. 

Recounting one of his meetings with Floyd’s daughter, Gianna, in which she told him “my Daddy changed the world,” Biden said now is the time for lawmakers to act.

“After the conviction of George Floyd’s murderer, we can see how right she was if we have the courage to act in Congress,” said Biden.

“We have all seen the knee of injustice on the neck of Black Americans,” he continued. “Now is our opportunity to make some real progress.”

Biden then went on to praise most law enforcement officers in the nation, who he said also want to see reform.

“The vast majority of men and women in uniform wear their badge and serve their communities honorably,” he said receiving a standing ovation 

“I know they want to help meet this moment as well,” he added.

President Biden offered stern words for Russian President Vladimir Putin in remarks to a joint session of Congress Wednesday.

“With regard to Russia, I know it concerns some of you, but I made very clear to President Putin that while we don’t seek … escalation, but their actions will have consequences if they turn out to be true, and they turned out to be true,” Biden told telling lawmakers gathered in the House chamber.

Earlier this month, Biden’s administration targeted Russia with sweeping sanctions and diplomatic expulsions, punishing Moscow for its interference in the 2020 US election, its SolarWinds cyberattack and its ongoing occupation and “severe human rights abuses” in Crimea.

In remarks announcing the sanctions, Biden said they served as a proportionate response, but also emphasized that “now is the time to de-escalate” tensions with the country.

“So I responded directly and proportionately to Russia’s interference in our elections and cyber-attacks on our government and our businesses – they did both of these things, and I told them we would respond and we have. But we can also cooperate when it’s in our mutual interests,” Biden said tonight, pointing to cooperation between the two nations on nuclear de-proliferation and climate change, before adding that Putin now “understands, we will respond.”

President Biden thanked Congress for passing the Covid-19 related hate crimes bill aimed at addressing the increase of violent crimes aimed at Asian Americans during the pandemic.

“You see on television the viciousness of the hate crimes we have seen over the past year and for too long. I urge the House to do the same and send the legislation to my desk which I will glad and anxiously will sign,” Biden said.

The President also urged Congress to pass the Equality Act to protect the LGBTQ community so that he can sign it into law.

President Biden just urged Congress to act on police reform, referencing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which already passed the US House of Representatives. It now needs a debate and a vote in the US Senate.

“My fellow Americans, we have to come together to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve, to root out systemic racism in our criminal justice system and to enact police reform in George Floyd’s name that passed the House already,” Biden said.

“I know Republicans have their own ideas and are engaged in a very productive discussion with Democrats in the Senate. We need to work together to find a consensus, but let’s get it done next month by the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death,” he added.

According to the legislation’s fact sheet, the bill would “save lives by banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants” and would mandate “deadly force be used only as a last resort.”

In the wake of the Derek Chauvin verdict, many of Floyd’s family members, leaders and activists and Biden said that now is the time to continue to push that legislation forward. Supporters of the bill say it would improve law enforcement accountability and work to root out racial bias in policing.

Here’s what the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would do:

Ban chokeholds. While many police agencies say they don’t train their officers to use chokeholds, they are still used. The legal standard for the use of chokeholds is vague, making it difficult to prosecute officers who abuse this use of force Ban no-knock warrants. The no-knock warrant allows officers to break into homes without warning. Create a duty to intervene. When police officers see another officer using excessive force, the witnessing officers would be required to intervene.  Create a public registry. The law establishes a national police misconduct registry available to the public. This would stop officers from evading consequences for their actions by moving to another jurisdiction. End qualified immunity: Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects government officials from being held personally liable for violations – for example, when police use excessive force. Ending qualified immunity would mean that, if a police officer breaks the law, that officer would be held accountable

Democrats now control the Senate, which has a 50-50 partisan split with Vice President Kamala Harris acting as the tie breaker. But most legislation in that chamber still requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, and it’s not clear there would be enough Republican support to get the legislation across the finish line in the Senate.

President Biden placed America’s presence in Afghanistan in perspective tonight, saying “we have service members serving in the same war as their parents once did.”

Biden’s remarks come just days after it was confirmed that the US has begun to withdraw troops from the country in local areas.

“We have service members in Afghanistan who were not yet born on 9/11,” Biden said during his first joint address to Congress. “War in Afghanistan was never meant to be a multi-generational undertaking of nation-building.”

Biden said the US has “delivered justice to Osama Bin Laden and we degraded the terrorist threat of al Qaeda in Afghanistan” and now, two decades later, “it’s time to bring our troops home.”

More context: Biden announced his decision to end America’s longest war earlier this month, arguing that the decades-long conflict no longer aligned with American priorities.

The deadline the President has set for troops to withdraw is absolute — with no potential for an extension based on worsening conditions on the ground. 

See the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

acc8185c-05ab-4f26-9e1e-7e2af77a1a6e.mp4

01:42 - Source: cnn

President Biden slammed former President Trump’s 2017 tax cut plan while making the case for his proposal to tax the wealthiest 1% of Americans.

Biden said that through his plan the IRS would “crack down on millionaires and billionaires that cheat on their taxes.”

“It’s estimated to be billions of dollars by think tanks of the left, right, and center. I’m not looking to punish anybody. But I will not add a tax burden, additional tax burden on the middle class of this country. They’re already paying enough. I believe what I propose is fair. Fiscally responsible. And it raises revenue to pay for the plans I propose and will create millions of jobs that will grow the economy and enhance our financial standing in the country,” he said.

Biden then went on to slam Republicans and Trump for their 2017 cut plan.

“Look, the big tax cut of 2017, remember, it was supposed to pay for itself. That was how it was sold. And generate vast economic growth. Instead, it added $2 trillion to the deficit. It was a huge windfall for corporate America and those at the very top. Instead of using the tax saving to raise wages and invest in research and development, it poured billions of dollars into the pockets of CEOs. In fact the pay gap between CEOs and their workers is now among the largest in history,” Biden said.

Watch here:

Video Ad Feedback

a9c60724-d0a7-420a-951a-a578446043f3.mp4

03:20 - Source: cnn

President Biden laid out his plan to pay for his ambitious agenda, saying that he did not oppose millionaires and billionaires, but they must pay their fair share of taxes.

Biden also criticized trickle down economics, a theory popular among Republicans, which says that tax cuts given to big businesses and the wealthy, strengthen the economy by trickling down to smaller businesses and individuals with fewer resources.  

“My fellow Americans, trickle down, trickle down economics has never worked and it is time to grow the economy, for the bottom and the middle out,” said Biden, receiving applause and a few standing ovations from Democratic lawmakers. 

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

3edd72da-51dc-4fe7-86a6-211eb1e9e0b3.mp4

01:22 - Source: cnn

President Biden wants the wealthiest Americans to pay “their fair share” when it comes to taxes.

“I will not impose any tax increase on people making less than $400,000. But it’s time for corporate America and the wealthiest 1% of Americans to begin to pay their fair share. Just their fair share,” Biden said during his first joint address to Congress.

More context: Biden has said he is already working to make permanent several major, albeit temporary, tax breaks for low-income and middle class Americans, that were part of the stimulus. These include expansions of the child tax credit and earned income tax credit, as well as more generous Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.

Much of Biden’s plan rests on reversing the Republicans’ 2017 tax cuts, which were more heavily weighted to those at the upper end of the income ladder, though many key provisions will expire after 2025.

In March, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden believes that “those at the top are not doing their part” and “obviously that corporations could be paying higher taxes.”

In arguing that his infrastructure plan would create well-paying jobs for Americans, President Biden said that “Nearly 90% of the infrastructure jobs created in the American Jobs Plan don’t require a college degree. 75% don’t require an associate’s degree.”

Facts First: While it’s impossible to fact check the impact of a plan that hasn’t even passed Congress, a forecast from Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce supports these figures depending on how “college degree” is defined. The study estimates that 85% of the jobs from the infrastructure plan would be filled by those without a bachelor’s degree, while 75% of the jobs would be filled by those without an associate’s degree, according to the estimate. 

The forecast predicts that 16% of the jobs could go to those with education levels below graduating high school, 37% could go to those with a high school diploma, 14% to those with some college education but no degree, 8% to those with a postsecondary vocational certificate and 10% to those with an associate’s degree. 

Many of these jobs would be temporary, as a study from S&P Global notes, estimating that the majority of jobs would taper off by 2029 as infrastructure projects are completed. It’s important to note too that studies and estimates around the infrastructure plan vary widely.  

Again, this is just one forecast of the potential effects of a plan not yet passed by Congress.

President Biden made an appeal for bipartisanship and his sweeping infrastructure plan tonight, framing the need for consensus domestically as a means for the US to maintain competitiveness globally, particularly with China.

“Vice President Harris and I met regularly in the Oval Office with Democrats and Republicans to discuss the American Jobs Plan. And I applaud a group of Republican Senators who just put forward their own proposal,” Biden said during his address to a Joint Session of Congress, referring to a proposal unveiled by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito last week.

Biden continued, “So, let’s get to work. I wanted to lay out to Congress my plan before we got into the deep discussion. I’d like to meet with those who have ideas that are different. We welcome ideas. But the rest of the world isn’t waiting for us. I just want to be clear: from my perspective, doing nothing is not an option. Look, we can’t be so busy competing with one another and forget the competition we have with the rest of the world to win the 21st century.”

Biden went on to describe a two-hour conversation he had with Chinese President Xi Jinping upon taking office.

“He’s deadly earnest on becoming the most significant, consequential nation in the world. He and others, autocrats, think that democracy can’t compete in the 21st century with autocracies. It takes too long to get consensus,” he said.

Biden is betting on democracy — and that, in his view, will require consensus and big investments. Central to that challenge will be the consensus of Congress, and whether he’s able to forge ahead and pass key legislative priorities with a 50-50 Senate.

There have been active discussions with top White House officials and a group of Senate Republicans, including Capito, on the potential compromise, though the intensifying discussions are still in early stages. Biden has also suggested that his definition of “bipartisan” passage of his massive infrastructure proposals does not necessarily require Republican votes in Congress, but rather, support from a majority of Americans.

President Biden remembered his late son Beau Biden while urging for more funding for the National Institute of Health to create an advanced research project agency to focus on developing breakthroughs to prevent, detect and treat diseases like cancer, Alzheimers and diabetes.

Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015. Congress renamed a cancer research bill after him in 2016, Biden’s last year as vice president. He recounted that moment during his remarks.

“Here’s what it would do. It would have a singular purpose, to develop breakthroughs to prevent, detect, and treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and cancer. I’ll still never forget when we passed the cancer proposal in the last year as vice president, almost $9 million going to NIH. You’ll excuse the point of personal privilege. I’ll never forget you standing, Mitch, and naming it after my deceased son. It meant a lot. But so many of us have deceased sons, daughters, and relatives who died of 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. It’s within our power. It’s within our power to do it,” Biden said.

President Biden said during his joint address to Congress tonight that he is tasking Vice President Kamala Harris with being the point person on broadband efforts in the American Jobs Plan.

The infrastructure proposal, Biden said, will create “jobs connecting every American with high-speed internet, including 35% of rural Americans who still don’t have it. This will help our kids and businesses succeed in a 21st century economy.”

“And I am asking the vice president to lead this effort if she would,” Biden added, turning to Harris, who nodded. “Because I know it will get done.”

Though the scope of her responsibilities wasn’t completely clear in the speech, a White House official told CNN that Biden is tasking Harris with the broadband component of the American Jobs Plan – not the entire jobs plan. The assignment is to focus on lifting the broadband piece within the broader jobs plan – to get it passed and implement it.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

174d42b2-2594-4be1-a7a3-4fe50eaf471b.mp4

01:37 - Source: cnn

President Biden said that “independent experts estimate the American Jobs Plan will add millions of jobs and trillions of dollars to economic growth in years to come.” 

Facts first: It’s true that some experts say the plan could create millions of jobs, but analysts differ on how much economic growth it could spur.  

The American Jobs Plan proposes spending $2 trillion on improving the nation’s infrastructure and paying for it by hiking corporate taxes. Some independent analysts say it will have a positive effect on jobs and the economy — but the magnitude of its effect will depend on the size and structure of the package that Congress ultimately passes.  

Moody’s Analytics found that the proposal would create about 2.7 million jobs by the end of 2030. A separate report from S&P Global noted that the jobs created by the plan could be temporary. It estimated that in the short term, $2.1 trillion in infrastructure spending could create 2.3 million jobs, but that as infrastructure projects are completed these jobs would taper off and the net jobs added from the proposal would be 713,000 by 2029. 

Moody’s Analytics projects that the infrastructure plan will result in a higher GDP over the next decade. It predicts GDP will grow by 3.8% in 2024, compared with 2.2% if the plan fails to become law.  

S&P Global also found that that much infrastructure spending would boost the economy over the next decade adding $5.7 trillion over that time period. It estimated that GDP growth will be lifted to 2.2% from 1.7% over the next 10 years.  

But a different analysis from the Penn Wharton Budget Model took a longer-term view and found that the infrastructure proposal would actually end up decreasing GDP by 0.8% in 2050. 

President Biden tonight pitched his administration’s infrastructure plan directly to the American people, saying it would be led by the principle of American investment. 

“American tax dollars, are going to be used to buy American products, made in America to create American jobs,” he continued. “That is the way that it is supposed to be and it will be in this administration.”

Watch here:

Video Ad Feedback

e275b9bf-9168-41fa-8d17-b5325e6efc9f.mp4

01:07 - Source: cnn

A month after he laid out a roughly $2 trillion infrastructure plan aimed at helping the nation recover from the coronavirus pandemic, President Biden is unveiling an additional $1.8 trillion federal investment in education, child care and paid family leave during his first address tonight.

The massive package — which Biden is calling the American Families Plan — is the second half of his effort to revitalize the nation and ensure a more equitable recovery. The proposal would also extend or make permanent enhancements to several key tax credits that were contained in the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion rescue bill, which Biden signed into law last month.

The President intends to finance the latest package by hiking taxes on the rich, saying he wants to reward work, not wealth. His new proposed measures would raise about $1.5 trillion over a decade.The families plan pairs with Biden’s infrastructure proposal, known as the American Jobs Plan, which calls for improving the nation’s roads, bridges, broadband, railways and schools.

Here’s a closer look at what is in the plan:

Read more about the proposal here.

President Biden made the case for the American Jobs Plan by appealing to those who have been impacted by job loss during the pandemic, specifically women and caregivers.

“Two million women have dropped out of the workforce during this pandemic. Two million. And too often, because they couldn’t get the care they needed to care for their child or care for an elderly parent who needs help,” Biden continued.

“800,000 families are on the Medicare waiting list right now to get home care for their aging parent or loved one with disability. If you think it’s not important, check out in your own district, Democrat or Republican. Democrat or Republican voters. Their great concern, almost as much as the children, is taking care of an elderly loved one who can’t be left alone. Medicaid contemplated it, but this program will help families and create jobs for caregivers with better wages and better benefits, continuing the cycle of growth,” the President said.

Watch here:

Video Ad Feedback

89255851-258a-47e2-bc50-42668a3f131a.mp4

01:48 - Source: cnn

Climate change and job creation go hand in hand for President Biden.

During his first joint session remarks to Congress tonight, Biden said the American Jobs Plan will “put engineers and construction workers to work building more energy-efficient buildings and homes.” 

“Electrical workers installing 500,000 charging stations along our highways. Farmers planting cover crops, so they can reduce carbon dioxide in the air and get paid for doing it,” Biden said. “There’s no reason the blades for wind turbines can’t be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing.”

Biden also said there is “no reason why American workers can’t lead the world in the production of electric vehicles and batteries.” 

“The American Jobs Plan will create millions of good paying jobs – jobs Americans can raise their families on,” he added.

See the moment here:

Video Ad Feedback

74ca7826-717e-4078-ba82-9939803ea97f.mp4

00:52 - Source: cnn

President Biden touted the success of his administration’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout during his first joint session remarks to Congress.

He called the $1.9 trillion American Rescue plan “one most consequential rescue packages in American history. We’re already seeing the results.”

“We’re marshaling every federal resource. We’re gotten vaccinations to nearly 40,000 pharmacies and over 700 community health centers where the poorest of the poor can be reached. We’re setting up community vaccination sites, developing mobile units to get the hard to reach communities. Today, 90% of Americans now live within five miles of a vaccination site.”

Biden then pleaded with Americans to get vaccinated.

“Everyone over the age of 16, everyone, is now eligible to get vaccinated right now, right away,” he said. “Go get vaccinated, America. Go and get the vaccination. They’re available. You’re eligible now.”

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

188dfde0-c1d5-4a48-9541-4ea9f389e847.mp4

02:52 - Source: cnn

President Biden is touting his $1.9 trillion Covid-19 economic relief package during today’s address. The relief package was Biden’s first and most pressing legislative priority since taking office in January.

Here’s a reminder of what is in the bill:

Read a more detailed breakdown here.

President Biden opened his first joint address to Congress, saying he’d inherited a nation in crisis but in less than 100 days ago, his administration had already begun to turn it around.

“It’s been 100 days since I took the oath of office, lifted my hand off our family Bible and inherited a nation, we all did, that was in crisis, the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the worst attack on our democracy, since the Civil War,” said the President.

“Now, after just 100 days I can report to the nation, America is on the move again,” continued Biden, receiving standing ovation. “Turning peril into possibility, crisis into the opportunity, setbacks into strength.”

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

3b27183b-c881-4861-87eb-5ecb11700302.mp4

01:12 - Source: cnn

President Biden is touting his administration’s Covid-19 response, including administering more than 200 million coronavirus vaccine shots since he took office.

The battle against Covid-19 has been a central part of Biden’s first 100 days. The $1.9 trillion Covid-19 economic relief package passed in March was Biden’s primary and most pressing legislative priority since taking office.

The legislation provided $14 billion for researching, developing, distributing, administering and strengthening confidence in vaccines. It also put $47.8 billion toward testing, contact tracing and mitigation, including investing in laboratory capacity, community-based testing sites and mobile testing units, particularly in medically underserved areas.

Here’s a look at the latest figures on US vaccinations:

Note: Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been given on the day reported.

CNN’s Tami Luhby and Katie Lobosco contributed reporting to this post. 

President Biden is delivering his first joint session address to Congress, a day before he marks his 100th day in office.

“My fellow Americans, while the setting tonight is familiar, this gathering is just a little bit different. A reminder of the extraordinary times we’re in,” Biden said. “Throughout our history, presidents have come to this chamber to speak to Congress, to the nation and to the world, to declare war, to celebrate peace, to announce new plans and possibilities. Tonight, I come to talk about crisis and opportunity.”

The President is expected to tout his administrations accomplishments within his first 100 days including, his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 570,000 Americans. The US recently surpassed 200 million Covid-19 shots administered since Jan. 20, which was double the original goal Biden had outlined of achieving 100 million shots in arms in the first 100 days.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration passed a sweeping $1.9 trillion Covid-19 emergency economic relief package, which included $1,400 checks to Americans, increased unemployment assistance, aid to states and municipalities and tax credits for families and certain low-income workers.

Biden is also expected to lay out parts of his American Families Plan, a roughly $1.5 trillion legislative proposal to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into key Democratic priorities on education, child care and paid leave. The plan is the second part of a two-part proposal to help the nation’s economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Because of coronavirus restrictions, Biden’s address to Congress is set to look unlike any other in modern American history. A limited number of lawmakers are attending the speech, and Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will both be wearing masks as they sit behind Biden. It will be the first time two women occupy the seats behind the President at a joint address to Congress.

Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just made history, becoming the first two women in Washington leadership to sit behind a current US President during a joint address to Congress.

“Madam speaker, madam vice president. No president has ever said those words from this podium. No president has ever said those words. And it’s about time,” Biden said.

The symbolism is something Biden was expected to acknowledge during his speech, according to sources familiar with the plan.

Though silent throughout the President’s remarks, the vice president and the speaker’s body language often serve as guideposts for how parties in the chamber react.

House Speaker John Boehner was sometimes seen grimacing behind then-President Barack Obama during his addresses to Congress. And Pelosi was famously seen ripping up her copy of President Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address shortly after he finished speaking.

Given that both Pelosi and Harris are Democrats, expect frequent gestures of approval, like applause and standing ovations.

See the historic moment:

Video Ad Feedback

f2fb013a-3c16-48ca-a2c3-8be07231c193.mp4

00:37 - Source: cnn

President Biden entered the House chamber for his first joint session address to Congress to a round of applause.

Biden was wearing his face mask as he greeted people with fist bumps as he walked toward the podium.

Once there he greeted Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi handing them copies of his speech. Pelosi then introduced the President.

Watch the moment President Biden entered the House chamber:

Video Ad Feedback

ef1e805a-4d1d-43d3-b0bf-a20db8862222.mp4

01:56 - Source: cnn

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff has entered the House chamber for President Biden’s joint address to Congress.

When he took his seat in the gallery of the House chamber, Emhoff was seen blowing air kisses and waving toward his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be seated behind the President on the rostrum.

See second gentleman wave to VP Harris ahead of joint address: 

Video Ad Feedback

20b90cda-a4eb-429c-bbda-338d0b998cd7.mp4

00:35 - Source: cnn

First lady Dr. Jill Biden has entered the chamber ahead of the President’s joint address to Congress.

The first lady’s guests are watching the President’s speech tonight remotely due to Covid-19 safety measures, the White House said in a release.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

c7426eb3-8ebb-477b-871a-4d2586782b74.mp4

00:40 - Source: cnn

Vice President Kamala Harris entered the House chamber to a round of applause for President Biden’s first joint session address to Congress.

In a historic moment, Harris will be seated behind the President with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first female vice president and first female speaker of the House.

Once reaching the podium, Harris and Pelosi elbow bumped.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

eae8f74d-eb78-4c5c-a06f-040538c8c726.mp4

00:33 - Source: cnn

Among the many important backdrops of the joint address tonight is that it will be delivered in the House chamber.

The same House chamber that was overwhelmed during the Capitol insurrection and the place where more than 100 Republican members of the House of Representatives voted to object to the results of the presidential election in an attempt to undermine President Biden’s victory.

Tonight in that same room, at least 13 Republican Senators and House Members who cast a vote to object to the Electoral College vote, will be there in person to watch Biden’s address. They are…

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Rep. Sam Graves was attending Biden’s address. Rep. Garret Graves was the lawmaker who attended the address. 

Lawmakers told CNN that Republicans have made clear to their members that the stakes are high in this speech, given that there will be so few members who will be allowed to attend and the cameras will be trained on the handful who will be on the floor for their reactions. 

GOP members have privately been reminded to act like adults and avoid embarrassing moments.

Sen. John Thune told CNN that attendees, “have to think about how they want to be perceived to the outside world.” Some GOP rabble-rousers have not been invited to attend, such as controversial freshman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Some context: The screening protocols put in place to enter the chamber are unprecedented and have caused tension between the two sides. Members have to prove they have been vaccinated, with both shots, or that they have a negative test within the last two days, or they’ll be denied entry.

Republicans are already angry about this, arguing there is no reason to limit attendance when virtually everyone has been vaccinated. All pointing to what will truly be a historic and unprecedented speech.

President Biden knows the stakes of this moment couldn’t be higher when it comes to his next major legislative push – a $1.8 trillion proposal to dramatically expand the social safety net for families.

It’s why, two senior administration officials told CNN, Biden spent much of the day working on one specific piece of this speech: the portion explaining the sweeping tax increases on the wealthy he’s proposing to pay for the plan. 

Administration officials know this is the time to explain, in as digestible of a way as possible, a proposal that will be attacked by Republicans. Biden’s tax increases go far beyond what has been tried in more than a half century. 

He has spent much of this day working with his chief speechwriter, Vinay Reddy, and one of his closest advisers, Mike Donilon, to “make crystal clear that no one making less than $400,000 will see a tax increase,” one of the officials told CNN.

The clarity of that language is considered absolutely crucial in this moment, one official said.

Where that money will go is also a key element – with Biden planning to lay out how the tax increases would fund investments in child care and education.  

President Biden has departed the White House and is on his way to the US Capitol where he will be making his first joint session address to Congress.

The remarks come just ahead of his 100 days in office milestone. Biden is expected to tout his administrations successes, including the efforts made to control the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine plan rollout.

The President is also expected to make the case for his administration’s next legislative priority, infrastructure.

When Biden speaks to a joint session of Congress tonight, it will look different than presidential addresses in years past with the event taking place amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and heightened security concerns in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

The joint session will be designated a National Special Security Event and there will be a limit on the number of lawmakers in the chamber due to Covid-19 protocols, a Capitol official involved in planning told CNN.

Lawmakers will be seated in the upstairs gallery in addition to the House floor and guests will not be permitted. A total of about 200 people are expected to be allowed in the House chamber.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin has made his resistance to elements of the agenda that President Biden will discuss tonight clear.

Manchin, who holds a crucial vote in the 50-50 Senate, will be in attendance tonight for Biden’s speech. In many ways, the fate of much of Biden’s agenda will come down to the West Virginia lawmaker.

In addition to saying he is “very uncomfortable” with trillions in new spending programs, Manchin addressed concerns with raising capital gains taxes to help pay for the plans. He also brushed back talk among Democratic leaders to try to advance the proposals along party lines through the budget process, as they are now planning to do next month.

“That’s a heavy lift,” Manchin said tonight of the higher capital gains rates. “We just make ourself non-competitive. Our economy is about to take off and boom and we can’t put the brakes on.”

He called on Democratic leaders to hold off on a decision on using the budget process until they exhaust all efforts to pass the bill on a bipartisan basis.

“Coming out of the gate and making the decision is not right,” Manchin told CNN of trying to pass the bills with Democratic voices.

Earlier today: Manchin made clear his concerns about the trillions more in spending.

When asked about the trillions of dollars that Biden is proposing to spend on his domestic agenda, Manchin told CNN that he was “very uncomfortable” with the price tag.

“Sure, that makes me very uncomfortable,” he told CNN. “We want to find how we’re gonna pay for it. … Are we going to be able to be competitive and be able to pay for what we need in the country? And we got to figure out what our needs are, and maybe make some adjustments, who knows?” 

Manchin said he hadn’t seen the details of Biden’s plans, but noted, “We’re $28.2 trillion now in debt … There’s a balance to be had here so we got to work it out … See what it is. I haven’t seen it all.”

Asked if universal pre-K is a good idea, with Biden proposing to spend $200 billion to make that plan a reality, Manchin said, “You have to be very careful” to ensure “states pull their own weight.”

Senate Democrats are using a lottery system to distribute the limited number of tickets available for members of the caucus who are interested in attending President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, multiple senators — including Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz — and aides told CNN.

The sources say the system is intended to be a way to make it more fair for those who want to attend the President’s first speech to Congress, which will be significantly smaller in size than it would have normally been due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A total of about 200 people are expected to be allowed in the House chamber for the event, which typically includes most members of Congress, their guests, members of the Supreme Court and the President’s Cabinet.

The House sergeant at arms sent a letter on Friday to members’ offices, which noted that due to Covid and safety protocols, the joint address is invite-only with invitations extended to a limited number of lawmakers.

Sen. John Thune, the Republican whip, told reporters that he thinks each Senate caucus will receive 30 invitations to the joint address, and each House caucus will receive 40, adding that doesn’t think the limited number of invitations will be an issue as he’s “sure there are a lot of members who prefer to watch it from their offices or somewhere else.”

At this year’s address, lawmakers will be seated in the upstairs gallery in addition to the House floor and guests will not be permitted.

CNN’s Clare Foran, Ryan Nobles and Annie Grayer contributed to this report.

Before taking a dinner break, President Biden spent a bit more time putting the finishing touches on remarks he will deliver tonight – a speech that is actually more than two months overdue. He originally vowed it would come in February.

The White House makes no apologies for the delay – it was by design.

“The pandemic gave us some running room,” a senior White House official tells CNN tonight, explaining that in the opening weeks of the administration, it was clear that delivering a major address inside the House chamber wouldn’t be possible. But soon, advisers concluded that saving the address for the 100-day mark would offer a better platform to sell the next piece of his sweeping economic agenda.

It was six days before taking office, as Biden unveiled his American Recovery Plan in Wilmington, when he pledged to lay out his proposal “next month in my first appearance before a joint session of Congress.” The pandemic got in the way – but they also created an opportunity.

That is now a central operating principle of the Biden administration: the pandemic creates an opportunity to go big.

The speech, while more than two months overdue, is now focused on the next 100 days and beyond, which the White House concedes will be more difficult than the first.

And as the President’s starts his sales pitch tonight, the White House and the Democratic National Committee is taking the measure of key voters across the country. Among their top targets of study: What do those Trump-Biden voters, who helped deliver the White House in critical battleground states, think of these plans like free community college, expanded child care and more?

President Biden is poised to devote a prominent portion of his address tonight to immigration, which advisers privately concede is the most politically fraught issue of any of the challenges facing the White House. 

While Biden plans to call on Congress to pass his sweeping immigration proposal, including a pathway to citizenship for some 11 million undocumented immigrants, he is also poised to extend a hand to Republicans (and some Democrats) to suggest he would accept a Plan B.

While the President has no plans to scale back his sweeping economic agenda, aides say immigration stands apart and he is expected to call for “Dreamers” to receive legal status and help farm workers work in the US legally.

Immigration is the third rail, as the surge of migrants at the border shows, but Biden plans to confront it head-on tonight.

Republicans will not provide an official Spanish response to President Biden’s speech to Congress tonight, breaking a modern tradition that has become standard with the annual address. 

Instead, the Republican National Congress will translate the English response from Sen. Tim Scott and most-likely release it after it’s done, a party source confirms to CNN.

The tradition of the Spanish response to the president’s annual address or State of the Union speech dates back to 2004, when then-Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico rebutted George W. Bush on the impact the president’s policies had on the Hispanic community and immigration in the US. 

Since then, a Spanish response to the address has become almost standard. The only year without one was 2009, the year of President Barack Obama’s first address to Congress. 

Former GOP Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart gave the first Republican Spanish response to a State of the Union address in 2010. 

In 2013, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio became the first official to give both the English and Spanish response. Rubio pre-taped the Spanish version before his live response in English. 

Here’s a list of past Spanish responses to State of the Union or annual addresses to Congress: 

President Biden will soon address a joint session of Congress for the first time this evening and is expected to tout his administration’s accomplishments within his first 100 days in office and unveil key components of his next legislative push.

Here’s what you need to know about Biden’s address and how to watch:

What time is Biden’s speech? Biden will address a joint session of Congress starting at 9 p.m. ET.

What he will discuss: Biden is expected to lay out parts of his American Families Plan, a roughly $1.5 trillion legislative proposal to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into key Democratic priorities on education, child care and paid leave. The plan is the second part of a two-part proposal to help the nation’s economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The President is also set to tout his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 570,000 Americans. The US recently surpassed 200 million Covid-19 shots administered since January 20, which was double the original goal Biden had outlined of achieving 100 million shots in arms in the first 100 days.

A smaller guest list: The joint session will be designated a National Special Security Event and there will be a limit on the number of lawmakers in the chamber due to Covid-19 protocols, a Capitol official involved in planning told CNN. Lawmakers will be seated in the upstairs gallery in addition to the House floor and guests will not be permitted. A total of about 200 people are expected to be allowed in the House chamber.

A historic first: Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will both be wearing masks as they sit behind Biden. It will be the first time two women occupy the seats behind the President at a joint address to Congress.

How can I watch CNN’s coverage? CNN will air special coverage of the Biden’s presidential address to Congress starting at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday. CNN’s coverage will also stream live without requiring a cable log-in on CNN.com’s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET.

It can also be viewed on CNNgo (at CNN.com/go on your desktop, smartphone, and iPad, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, Chromecast and Roku). The special will also be available on demand to subscribers via cable/satellite systems, CNNgo platforms and CNN mobile apps. You can also follow CNN’s live coverage on CNN.com.

The White House released excerpts of President Biden’s first joint address to Congress. He is slated to deliver remarks at 9 p.m. ET.

Biden will say that “America is on the move again” after a series of crises, including the pandemic, the economic havoc it caused, and the attack on the Capitol, which Biden calls “The worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.”

He will tout his administration’s first 100 days in office, push for passage of his American Jobs Plan, and seek “to restore the people’s faith in our democracy to deliver.”

Read portions of his prepared remarks here:

“As I stand here tonight, we are just one day shy of the 100th day of my administration.
100 days since I took the oath of office—lifted my hand off our family Bible—and inherited a nation in crisis. The worst pandemic in a century. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. The worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.
Now—after just 100 days—I can report to the nation: America is on the move again. Turning peril into possibility. Crisis into opportunity. Setback into strength.”

“Now, I know some of you at home wonder whether these jobs are for you. You feel left behind and forgotten in an economy that’s rapidly changing. Let me speak directly to you.
Independent experts estimate the American Jobs Plan will add millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in economic growth for years to come. These are good-paying jobs that can’t be outsourced. Nearly 90% of the infrastructure jobs created in the American Jobs Plan don’t require a college degree. 75% don’t require an associate’s degree.
The Americans Jobs Plan is a blue-collar blueprint to build America.
And, it recognizes something I’ve always said: Wall Street didn’t build this country. The middle class built this country. And unions built the middle class.”

“We have to prove democracy still works. That our government still works—and can deliver for the people.
In our first 100 days together, we have acted to restore the people’s faith in our democracy to deliver.
We’re vaccinating the nation. We’re creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. We’re delivering real results people can see and feel in their own lives. Opening the doors of opportunity. Guaranteeing fairness and justice.”

The White House has said policing reform will be a key topic discussed during President Biden’s evening address.

“As he’s thinking about what his joint session speech looks like next week, he has every intention of using that as an opportunity to elevate this issue and talk about the importance of putting police reform measures in place,” press secretary Jen Psaki said last week.

Biden’s comments about policing reform from the chamber will come one week after Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes last year, was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

“The President doesn’t believe that he alone can pull the George Floyd (Justice in Policing) Act across the finish line. That is going to be up to Congress,” she said, adding that Biden “believes the bar for convicting officers is too high.”

President Biden will deliver his first address to a joint session of Congress tonight.

Since this is Biden’s first address, it’s not technically called a “State of the Union” speech. It is an “annual message.”

Since 1977, new presidents have not called their first speech before a joint session of Congress a “State of the Union.” They are often referred to as an “annual message” or a message/address on a particular topic.

Former President Jimmy Carter delivered a message on energy policy in 1977 and economic addresses were given by Ronald Reagan in 1981, Bill Clinton in 1993, George W. Bush in 2001 and Barack Obama in 2009.

George H.W. Bush gave a speech titled “Building a Better America” in 1989. President Trump’s speech in 2017 did not have a specific policy focus.

A “joint session” of Congress is an official, working session of Congress. All State of the Union/annual message addresses are delivered before a “joint session,” not a “joint meeting.”

A “joint meeting” of Congress is a less formal gathering and is not an official working session of Congress. Over the years, various prominent Americans or foreign leaders have addressed joint meetings of Congress. 

Generally, only US presidents address joint sessions of Congress. However, there were two occasions in 1934 and 1948 when a foreign dignitary addressed a joint session, but in both cases the US president also spoke.

Read more here.

President Biden has formulated how he will wear his mask during his first appearance at a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night.

Biden will enter the Capitol Building wearing his mask, and when he’s introduced into the House Chamber, he will also be wearing his mask, a person familiar with the plans said.

He will walk down the center aisle masked, though there will be far fewer people inside the chamber than is typical during a State of the Union/ annual message.

Once he arrives at the rostrum for his remarks, Biden will remove his mask for the speech. Once it concludes, he’ll re-mask for the walk out of the chamber.

Both Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will both be wearing masks during the speech when they’re sitting behind Biden. It’s the first time two women will occupy the seats on the rostrum behind the President.

A senior Democratic aide told CNN’s Manu Raju on Monday that House rules require anyone speaking in the chamber to be wearing a mask, but that doesn’t apply to Biden because the rules only pertain to lawmakers.

The rule, which took effect on Jan. 4, similarly didn’t apply to then-Vice President Mike Pence when he presided over the congressional certification of Biden’s victory on Jan. 6.

In a historic first, the livestream of a President’s address to a joint session of Congress will include American Sign Language interpretation.

The White House on Twitter said it will be providing an ASL interpreter for Biden’s first address to Congress Wednesday night to “make this historic moment accessible for all Americans.”

“We commend the White House for taking steps to ensure accessibility for all who are watching, including deaf and hard of hearing people,” Howard Rosenblum, the CEO of the National Association of the Deaf, said in a statement provided to CNN. He urged TV stations carrying Biden’s address to display the interpreter in frame.

Biden had the Pledge of Allegiance signed while also recited at his inauguration in January and his administration has provided a ASL interpreter at every White House briefing since Jan. 25.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the move to add an ASL interpreter to briefings was “part of this administration’s accessibility and inclusion efforts.”

“The President is committed to building an America that is more inclusive, more just and more accessible for every American, including Americans with disabilities and their families,” Psaki said then.

Some of the more than 48 million Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing rely on closed captioning, but other members of the deaf community feel that closed captioning can be inaccurate or difficult to follow, and it doesn’t convey tone or add context in the way an interpreter can, advocates have told CNN.

Rosenblum pointed to the diversity of the community, saying that some are “fluent only” in ASL, “whereas many others are fluent only in English. Consequently, both ASL interpretation and accurate closed captioning are necessary to ensure that everyone within the deaf and hard of hearing community can understand their President’s address to Congress.”

During his address tonight, President Biden will lay out key components of the final piece of a two-part sweeping, $4 trillion spending proposal, which would invest hundreds of billions into education, child care and paid leave.

The measures being proposed in the American Families Plan include:

The plan would also extend or make permanent several existing measures.

The plan would cost $1.8 trillion and the President will seek to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans to finance it. His new proposed measures would raise about $1.5 trillion over a decade.

While key elements of the proposal were tweaked, removed or added in just the last several days, the joint session speech has long been viewed as the platform to unveil the proposal and its key elements, several of which Biden’s top advisers consistently point out poll quite well with the public.

In the days following the address, Biden will hit the road to make his first sales pitch for the plan at events around the country. Cabinet members and White House officials will take part in the tour as well.

Here’s a list of some of the senators who have confirmed they are attending President Biden’s joint address this evening.

Members of the Senate Democratic caucus attending the joint address in-person include:

GOP senators going to Biden’s joint address are:

Other senators who are possibly attending include:

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina will deliver the GOP response following President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress tonight.

The decision will give Scott, the lone Black Republican senator and the lead Republican negotiator on Congress’ policing reform efforts, a prominent national platform from which to speak to the country and counter Biden’s message.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy announced last week that Scott had been chosen to give the speech.

“Senator Tim Scott is not just one of the strongest leaders in our Senate Republican Conference. He is one of the most inspiring and unifying leaders in our nation,” McConnell said in a statement.

Scott has served in the Senate since 2013 and previously served in the House of Representatives representing South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

The GOP senator has spoken in the past in personal and emotional terms about his life experience and how he has faced unfair police scrutiny as a Black man.

“In many cities and towns across America, there is a deep divide between the Black community and law enforcement. A trust gap, a tension that has been growing for decades. And as a family, one American family, we cannot ignore these issues,” Scott said in a speech on the Senate floor in 2016.

President Biden has moved fast since his Jan. 20 swearing-in, signing a $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill into law less than two months into his term and issuing more executive orders so far than his three predecessors.

Those efforts have paid off, with the administration reaching the milestones of 200 million coronavirus shots delivered and vaccine eligibility opened to everyone 16 and over before Biden’s 100th day in office. Unemployment is falling, with new jobless claims hitting a pandemic low, and schools are reopening for in-person learning, returning kids and families to a semblance of normal life.

As the President gets ready to begin his next 100 days, what issues do you want him to focus on and why? Leave your comments in the box below and we may feature some of them.

Cedric Richmond, the director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, underscored in an interview ahead of President Biden’s joint address to Congress that even though key members have been reluctant to support the President’s plan for infrastructure and job, it has the support of the American public.

When CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Richmond on “The Situation Room” how the President will convince Republicans and Democrats to support his new American Families Plan with a $1.8 trillion price tag, Richmond said Biden will “lay out how it benefits American families, how it benefits the American economy, how it benefits the American country by making us more compensative.”

Richmond said the President will also show how the plan has a return on investment.

“We are laying out the plan and then we will go and make our pitch to both Republicans and Democrats about how important it is and why we critically need this American Families Plan for the country,” he added.

It’s similar to the White House’s pitch for the American Rescue Plan – the coronavirus relief package Biden proposed at the start of his presidency and signed into law in March. Despite zero Republican support in Congress, the President and the White House repeatedly underscored the plan was widely supported by the American public.

Despite having a lengthy list of policy priorities Biden plans to lay out tonight, Richmond said the administration doesn’t think any of their agenda items will be put on the backburner.

“We don’t think anything takes a back seat. We do have a 50-50 Senate. We recognize that. But the one thing we have is – we have the American people on our side. All of the proposals that we’re bringing forward are vastly popular with both Republicans, Democrats and independents,” Richmond said. “So, if we’re talking about infrastructure, it’s real bipartisan in terms of American voters that support it.”

As tonight’s joint session of Congress kicks off, the look and feel will be very different from years past.

Covid-19 still casts a long shadow over the event, which prompted officials to limit the number of in-person attendees to 200.  

President Biden will give his speech in the very place rioters took over nearly four months ago, leaving more than 140 law enforcement officers injured and five people dead, including US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.

The heavy security, such as the fencing that surrounds the Capitol, will play a role in the evening’s event. The Department of Homeland Security has designated the speech as a National Special Security Event (NSSE), putting the US Secret Service in charge. 

In an interview with CNN Monday, the Secret Service’s top agent for the event described the immense amount of planning that went into securing the Capitol for Biden’s address. 

“The events of January 6 are a poignant reminder of what can happen, and there are always lessons to be learned from those kinds of incidents,” said Secret Service special agent in charge Michael Plati, who heads the Secret Service’s Dignitary Protection Division. 

“This is, I would say, not a comparable event,” Plati said when asked how Jan. 6 may impact securing high-profile events in the future. 

“This is something we spend months and months in advance of planning for,” he said. “We do this in partnership with the FBI, FEMA, we work with our federal, state, and local partners, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol Police, the Park Police, it’s really a whole of government approach.” 

Plati added that they conducted table-top exercises with other law enforcement agencies to play out a range of scenarios, helping ensure the agencies can move with synchronized agility. 

“We will run the partners through a variety of scenarios based on what we are seeing in the current environment to make those scenarios relevant,” Plati said. 

He declined to describe the “means and methods” that could give a possible enemy too much information, and the Capitol Police declined to share their security planning. 

Chief Justice John Roberts will be the only justice from the Supreme Court attending President Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.

A court spokesperson told CNN, “Due to the pandemic, the Chief Justice was the only member of the Court invited to the Joint Session of Congress. He plans to attend.”

The White House announced that there will not be a designated survivor during President Biden’s joint address to Congress on Wednesday since the entire Cabinet will not be in attendance due to Covid-19 protocols.

“There does not need to be a designated survivor because the Cabinet will be watching from their offices or home, but they will not be joining him for the speech,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.

Normally, one Cabinet member is made the designated survivor during a President’s joint address to Congress or State of the Union address, meaning they don’t attend the address to ensure there is someone in the presidential line of succession kept safe if there is a mass-casualty incident. 

This year, a total of about 200 people are expected to be allowed in the House chamber for the President’s remarks and most Cabinet members will not be in attendance. The secretary of state and secretary of defense are expected to attend the joint address.

Psaki noted that while this year’s address will look different, Biden will still walk down the center aisle of the House chamber before he takes the lectern to begin his speech. She also said Biden will meet with career staff who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6 prior to delivering his remarks.

With Kamala Harris as the first female vice president, this will be the first State of the Union/annual message with two women sitting behind the President on the dais.

Former President George W. Bush’s 2007 address, shortly after Nancy Pelosi took the speakership, marked the first time there was one woman behind the President. 

The symbolism is something President Biden will acknowledge during his speech, according to sources familiar with the plan.

Harris and Pelosi — the first women to hold their positions in federal leadership — are expected to sit behind Biden on the rostrum in masks during the entirety of the speech.

Though silent throughout the President’s remarks, the vice president and the speaker’s body language often serve as guideposts for how parties in the chamber react.

Given that both Pelosi and Harris are Democrats, expect frequent gestures of approval, like applause and standing ovations.

Biden’s speech tonight will be the 104th time a US President has delivered either address as a speech before Congress.

Biden’s address comes in front of a united Democratic Congress.

Presidents Trump, Obama and Clinton all had complete control of Washington for their first two years in office before their respective parties’ lost control of at least one chamber of Congress during the midterm elections. 

Republican Sen. Todd Young from Indiana today said he hopes President Biden uses his joint address to Congress this evening to emphasizes unity in action at the federal level.

“There’s been rhetorical unity and emphasis on unity in speeches, but when it comes to actions, there hasn’t been nearly enough unity, and I think that’s the best and most constructive way that elected officials can really make a difference right now,” the senator told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“Hopefully this evening that will be a real point of emphasis for President Biden in his address, he added.

When President Biden speaks to a joint session of Congress tonight, it will look different than presidential addresses in years past with the event taking place amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and heightened security concerns in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

The joint session will be designated a National Special Security Event and there will be a limit on the number of lawmakers in the chamber due to Covid-19 protocols, a Capitol official involved in planning told CNN.

Lawmakers will be seated in the upstairs gallery in addition to the House floor and guests will not be permitted. A total of about 200 people are expected to be allowed in the House chamber.

Even the date and timing of the address was affected by the pandemic. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter earlier this month inviting Biden to speak to Congress after previously saying that she was waiting to make a decision on extending an invitation due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Pelosi said she feels confident about the security for the address when asked by a reporter and went on to say, “Most of our, shall we say, limitations spring from Covid not as much from security in terms of the narrow number of people.”

The House sergeant at arms sent a letter on Friday to members’ offices, which noted that due to Covid and safety protocols, the joint address is invite-only with invitations extended to a limited number of lawmakers. Sources familiar told CNN that Capitol Police initially asked for fencing to remain in place until the address to a joint session of Congress.

The letter from the House sergeant at arms stated that if a lawmaker does not receive an invitation from congressional leadership, he or she will not be allowed inside the Capitol after 5 p.m. ET on the day of the address.

Read more about the Covid-19 and security precautions tonight here.

Excerpts have been released of Sen. Tim Scott’s Republican address that will follow President Biden’s speech tonight

The excerpts mention several topics, including students returning to classrooms, the vaccine rollout (with credit to Operation Warp Speed and the Trump administration) and the economy.

Read a portion of his prepared remarks:

“Locking vulnerable kids out of the classroom is locking adults out of their future. Our public schools should have reopened months ago. Other countries’ did. Private and religious schools did. Science has shown for months that schools are safe.
But too often, powerful grown-ups set science aside. And kids like me were left behind.
The clearest case for school choice in our lifetimes.”

“This should be a joyful springtime for our nation.
This Administration inherited a tide that had already turned. The coronavirus is on the run!
Thanks to Operation Warp Speed and the Trump Administration, our country is flooded with safe and effective vaccines. Thanks to our bipartisan work last year, job openings are rebounding.
So why do we feel so divided and anxious?
 A nation with so much cause for hope should not feel so heavy-laden.”

“Just before COVID, we had the most inclusive economy in my lifetime. The lowest unemployment ever recorded for African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asian-Americans. The lowest for women in nearly 70 years. Wages were growing faster for the bottom 25% than the top 25%.
That happened because Republicans focused on expanding opportunity for all Americans.
We passed Opportunity Zones, criminal justice reform, and permanent funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the first time ever. We fought the drug epidemic, rebuilt our military, and cut taxes for working families and single moms like mine.
Our best future won’t come from Washington schemes or socialist dreams. It will come from you — the American people.”

President Biden tweeted a photo of himself in the Oval Office with his prepared remarks ahead of tonight’s address.

According to a tweet from Meghan Hays, White House director of message planning, the photo was taken by official White House photographer Adam Schultz as Biden “adds some last-minute thoughts to his speech.”

First lady Jill Biden won’t have a traditional viewing box at President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress as coronavirus restrictions limit capacity in the chamber for the speech, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.  

First ladies traditionally sit with guests who symbolize the administration’s policy priorities at State of the Union addresses. But this year, “there will not be the traditional box,” Psaki said. 

The first lady will attend the address to Congress, but — due to increased Covid protocols and decreased attendance — she will not be bringing guests to sit with her, her press secretary Michael LaRosa told CNN.

Instead the first lady’s guests will be watching the speech remotely, the White House said in a release.

Among the virtual guests: a DACA Recipient and frontline worker, Maria-Isabel Ballivian, who serves as the executive director of a Virginia Child Development Center (and introduced Vice President Kamala Harris during remarks on the American Jobs Plan at the White House two weeks ago), a gun violence prevention advocate, a trans teen who testified before the US Senate on the Equality Act, and a Native American advocate for rural broadband.

Most, if not all, of the White House staff will be watching the speech virtually, Psaki said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office is handling the pared-down guest list for the speech, she noted. 

“We’re determining how we can, of course, engage the public and ensure we highlight some of the incredible stories of people who have been helped by the President’s policies and proposals but it will not look like, or feel like in many ways, what past joint addresses have,” Psaki said. 

A highly engaged writer, President Biden has spent hours debating the language and themes of his speech with his team, according to people familiar with his preparation.

He has also consulted with members of his family. He has reviewed drafts and sent back handwritten revisions in the margins, along with dictating portions of his speech during writing sessions in the White House residence and Oval Office — and during quiet reflection back home in Delaware, where aides say he is at once relaxed and focused.

As President, Biden has prepared extensively for some of his most high-profile events, including a prime-time address to the nation in March and a solo news conference a few weeks later.

For that address, Biden spent days line editing his remarks, ensuring he was striking the appropriate tone while using exactly the right words and phrases. Biden did not want to make a single mistake, he told officials. Ahead of the news conference, he held an informal mock session with his team.

Biden is known to rehearse his major speeches repeatedly and will spend most of Wednesday preparing for this address. At some point before Wednesday’s 9 p.m. ET remarks, he is expected to stage a full run-through at the White House.

Previous presidents have set up a podium and teleprompter in the White House Map Room to get as thorough a feel for the speech as possible.

Unlike any of his most recent predecessors, however, Biden will know what the view from the microphone will look like. He spent eight years looking out at the House Chamber — and the back of President Barack Obama’s head — during State of the Union speeches. For three-and-a-half decades before that, Biden was among the crowd of lawmakers watching from the floor.

Read the full story here.

Teams inside the Capitol are going to extraordinary lengths to ready the House chamber to keep the participants safe and reduce the risk of the spread of coronavirus for tonight’s presidential joint address to members of Congress. 

In a break from tradition, the 200 people allowed into the chamber will be assigned a seat. Between each of the assigned seats will be four empty seats, designed to encourage social distancing in the chamber.

In past years, outside of a few seats reserved for members of the President’s Cabinet and members of the Supreme Court, seating in the chamber was first come, first serve. It often led members of Congress to get to the Capitol hours ahead of time to get prime seating- particular seats by the center aisle where the President enters the room.

In 2021, the center aisle seating will not exist. Instead, there will be three empty seats between the aisle and where the members of Congress’ assigned seats begin. The goal being to prevent members from crowding the area to take advantage of long held traditions like being caught on camera shaking the President’s hand or getting him to sign a copy of his speech.

In another break from past practice, members of Congress will be sitting in the gallery above the floor of the House, not just on the House floor.

This is how the seating arrangement looks for those coveted seat near the aisle President Biden will walk down.

To Biden’s left as he walks into the room, from the row closest to the dais and moving back:

To Biden’s right as he walks into the room, from the row closest to the dais and moving back:

Note: For perspective on the seating, Biden will see Reps. Colin Allred and Brian Fitzpatrick first as he enters the room.

Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican, discussed his preparations for tonight when he gives the Republican rebuttal to President Biden’s address to Congress. He said Tuesday that he’s done “an appropriate level of practice” in preparation.

“You do your homework and you do your best to…anticipate what he’s going to say and be in a position to share with the nation a different way, at least what I think, is a better way,” he said.

Scott would not go into detail about which issues he would cover in his speech.

“I think it should be a surprise to everybody and sometimes it will be a surprise to me too,” he said.

The Republican is currently engaging in bipartisan talks on policing legislation. He declined to say Tuesday if two key sticking points in policing bill talks are still unresolved: Overhauling qualified immunity that protects police officers from civil lawsuits and lowering the threshold to prosecute individual cops of crimes. 

“I think we’re actually making progress overall,” Scott told CNN when asked Tuesday if the two issues were still the main sticking points. “I hate to litigate and or fight with, through the press on these issues. They are really important issues to communities that are very vulnerable. We are trying to get to a place where we can solve those issues.”

Democrats want to make it easier to both sue cops in civil court and charge them with crimes for reckless conduct, while Scott has floated a compromise on the qualified immunity aspect and resisted calls to lower the threshold for prosecuting officers.

Scott has suggested allowing police departments — not officers — to be sued in civil court, an idea Democrats have yet to endorse. 

White House press secretary Jen Psaki highlighted shots in arms and checks in pockets ahead of the President’s joint address to Congress.

“What people will hear from him tonight is not just how far we’ve come, but the fact that government can work. Democracy can work. Now’s the time to be bold – the American Families Plan is part of that plan, but he’s also going to talk about police reforms we need, we need to put gun safety measures in place, immigration, that’s all going to be in his speech tonight, too,” she said during an appearance on CBS This Morning Wednesday. 

Psaki promoted the American Families Plan, touting measures like universal pre-K, and reiterated the administration’s definition of bipartisanship in appealing to Americans more broadly. 

Asked about Republican counterproposals, she said the White House is “looking forward to having a discussion about where we can find agreement moving forward.” 

On Covid-19, Psaki highlighted recent progress and asked whether the US is still on track for gatherings around July 4, she said, “We absolutely are.” She pointed to increasing confidence among conservatives on vaccines.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she feels confident about the security for President Biden’s joint session address when asked by a reporter Tuesday.

She went on to say, “Most of our, shall we say, limitations spring from Covid not as much from security in terms of the narrow number of people that’s dictated by the physician and the sergeant at arms but the physician mostly.”

Asked if she’s worried it will change the character of the event, Pelosi said, “it will be its own wonderful character, no I’m not worried at all.”

President Biden’s first term passed the three-month point last week and will hit the 100th-day mark this week.

We’re now at the point where the Biden presidency is well underway, and the American public has a track record to judge him by.

The verdict so far has been historically consistent. Biden sports the steadiest approval rating on record for a president through nearly 100 days in office.

Looking at the average poll, his approval rating sits at right around 54%. You see this in data released on Sunday from ABC News/Washington Post (52% approve), CBS News/YouGov (58% approve), Fox News (54% approve) and NBC News (53% approve).

Biden’s approval rating at this point is not historically strong, by any means. Most other presidents in the post-World War II era had approval ratings above him at this point. The only clear exceptions were Gerald Ford, after he pardoned Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump, whose approval rating never got above 50%.

What makes Biden unique is that his approval rating at the beginning of his presidency was a very similar 53%. In fact, if you were to average the polls on any given day, you’ll see that Biden’s approval rating has never gone higher than 55% or even reached as low as 52% during the more than three months he’s been in office. It’s averaged a little less than 54%.

The range of results has traded within a band of less than 3 points. To put it mildly, this is an extremely narrow range. The median difference between the highest average approval rating a president had and lowest during their first 100 days in office has been 9.5 points.

The president with the narrowest range before Biden, Lyndon Baines Johnson, had a range of 4 points between their lowest and highest average approval rating. The president with the widest range, the aforementioned Ford, had a range of 26 points.

Read the full story here.

President Biden was “deeply involved” with preparations for his address to a joint session of Congress this Wednesday.

“The President has been working over the last couple of days, as he will be over the next two, on his speech. He’s deeply involved in the development of his speech. He’s thinking a great deal about what message he can send directly to the American people about what progress has been made but of course what challenges remain ahead,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.

Having served in the Senate for 36 years, Biden, she said, recognizes that it is “one of the highest profile opportunities even the President has each year to speak directly to the American people.”

He will talk about both accomplishments met and priorities he has set, including police reform, health care, and the rollout of the second piece of his infrastructure proposal, Psaki said.

Biden is “working closely” with his policy advisers and speechwriters as the final preparations are made, she noted.

President Biden will address a joint session of Congress for the first time this evening and is expected to tout his administration’s accomplishments within his first 100 days in office and unveil key components of his next legislative push.

Here’s what you need to know about Biden’s address and how to watch:

What time is Biden’s speech? Biden will address a joint session of Congress starting at 9 p.m. ET.

What he will discuss: Biden is expected to lay out parts of his American Families Plan, a roughly $1.5 trillion legislative proposal to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into key Democratic priorities on education, child care and paid leave. The plan is the second part of a two-part proposal to help the nation’s economy recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The President is also set to tout his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 570,000 Americans. The US recently surpassed 200 million Covid-19 shots administered since January 20, which was double the original goal Biden had outlined of achieving 100 million shots in arms in the first 100 days.

A smaller guest list: The joint session will be designated a National Special Security Event and there will be a limit on the number of lawmakers in the chamber due to Covid-19 protocols, a Capitol official involved in planning told CNN. Lawmakers will be seated in the upstairs gallery in addition to the House floor and guests will not be permitted. A total of about 200 people are expected to be allowed in the House chamber.

A historic first: Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will both be wearing masks as they sit behind Biden. It will be the first time two women occupy the seats behind the President at a joint address to Congress.

How can I watch CNN’s coverage? CNN will air special coverage of the Biden’s presidential address to Congress starting at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday. CNN’s coverage will also stream live without requiring a cable log-in on CNN.com’s homepage and across mobile devices via CNN’s apps for iOS and Android from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET.

It can also be viewed on CNNgo (at CNN.com/go on your desktop, smartphone, and iPad, and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, Chromecast and Roku). The special will also be available on demand to subscribers via cable/satellite systems, CNNgo platforms and CNN mobile apps. You can also follow CNN’s live coverage on CNN.com.