Joe Biden Delivers His First Address to Congress

President Joe Biden delivered his first address to Congress on the eve of his 100^th day in office. In the speech, the President outlined a range of programs his administration had in the pipeline. He also mentioned all the efforts that were put in place to manage the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. He raised issues that raged during his campaign and still continue to plague America today. He even put pressure on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by next month – the first anniversary of Floyd’s death.

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Former American Presidents from both parties have built their platforms on the ‘less is more’ approach to big government. But, not Biden. The President’s speech emphasized his belief that the government had the power to improve American lives. This means his work is cut out for him. While Americans are still skeptical about the government when it comes to the health and economic crisis that battered the country last year, they recognize that only government decisions can tackle long-term issues like climate change and criminal justice.

The trajectory of the pandemic took up the bulk of Biden’s speech and he urged eligible Americans to get vaccinated. He also referenced the violent mob that breached the capital early this year. “The insurrection was an existential crisis — a test of whether our democracy could survive. It did,” he said.

Foreign policy also took up space in the address. His approach to China was framed as a stand-off between democracy and autocracy. Biden made it clear that his efforts at home were meant to signal America’s commitment to democracy to the global stage. He also spoke of his administration withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan, nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, and the United States’ relationship with Russia.

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