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Joe Biden used his first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night to offer a sense of optimism in America after 15 brutal months marked by the pandemic, the recession that followed, racial protests and divisive elections limit January attack at the US Capitol. But he also promoted his ambitious agenda in the face of Republican opposition and meager Democrats.
Here are five takeaways.
Biden is ready to fight taxes and expenses
The President of the United States is desperate to push through his next two multibillion-dollar spending packages and does not shy away from tax increase to pay them to big business and the rich. The speech contained a long segment urging profitable and wealthy businesses to take on higher taxes, saying it was time for them to pay their “fair share”.
While advocating a boost for U.S. manufacturing provisions, he noted that displaced blue-collar workers would be the main focus of his administration. “Some of you at home wonder if these jobs are for you,” he said. “You feel abandoned and forgotten in a rapidly changing economy.”
He sees light at the end of the Covid tunnel
In poll after poll, Biden’s gets its highest marks for its handling of the pandemic, and that confidence shone in his speech. He focused on launching the vaccination in the United States, saying it had caused smiles on the faces of children as they returned to school, tears of joy for educators and long-awaited hugs from grandparents across the nation. Biden still warned that the United States should not lower its guard, but its tone was much less gloomy than in the past. “Our progress in the last 100 days against one of the worst pandemics in history is one of the greatest logistical achievements our country has ever seen.”
China and Russia are its top foreign policy priorities
At one point in the speech, Biden left the script to talk about Xi Jinping, the Chinese president. “It is deadly in becoming the most significant and consistent nation in the world.” The note highlighted the concern for Chinese power and influence that his administration consumes at least as much as that of Donald Trump. Although Western Europe barely appeared in the speech, Biden stressed his administration’s willingness to promote human rights. Russia was his other big concern. “I made it very clear to the president [Vladimir] Putin that while we are not looking for an escalation, his actions have consequences, ”he said.
His calls for bipartisanship sound empty
Biden, a veteran of the Senate, campaigned to promote recovering bipartisanship and working through the political corridor. Wednesday implored Republican lawmakers to work with Democrats to pass their proposals on everything from infrastructure reform to stricter gun laws. But its openings fell on deaf ears, with many Republicans disillusioned after Democrats continued with the $ 1.9 million economic relief bill earlier this year without a single Republican Party vote.
When asked what he thought of the speech, Mitt Romney, the Utah senator considered among the most moderate Republicans, replied, “Well, $ 6 million and counting. I’m sure Bernie was happy. ” He added: “In terms of meeting in the middle, this has not yet been something the administration has shown.”
Democrats and Republicans are still far apart on issues of racial justice
Debates over racial justice and equality have long divided Americans and the massacre George Floyd last year and the wave of Black Lives Matter protests that followed have seeped into politics. Biden and Democrats are pushing for ambitious federal police reforms. “We have a real opportunity to take root [the] systemic racism that plagues American life, ”Biden said.
The Republican Party’s official response to Biden’s speech was delivered by Tim Scott, the only black Republican senator, who has received praise from fellow Democrats for his role in bipartisan police reform negotiations.
But Scott received criticism from Democrats when he said, “Listen to me clearly: America is not a racist country,” and accused the Liberals of trying to divide the country by teaching children that the “color of their skin defines them.”
Scott defended election identification laws and election changes in Georgia that Biden called “worse than Jim Crow” and instead accused Democrats of pushing for a “Washington takeover” with efforts. to enforce federal election laws.
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