President Joe Biden will deliver his first address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday evening, where he will ask lawmakers for an additional $1.8 trillion for his children and family care and education.
Biden will use his primetime speech to pitch his $2.3 trillion “infrastructure” bill, which would be paid for with higher taxes on corporations. The president will also tout his administration’s action on combating the coronavirus pandemic. The House chamber will not be filled to its usual capacity due to coronavirus protocols.
**Follow all of the events on the Breitbart News Live Wire below. All times in eastern.**
10:43 P.M. — Scott is receiving high praise for his speech:
10:39 P.M. — “The coronavirus is on the run. Thanks to Operation Warp Speed and the Trump administration, our country is flooded with safe and effective vaccines,” says Scott.
10:38 P.M. —
10:37 P.M. — Scott continues his defense of Georgia’s voter integrity law, says Biden absurdly claims this [Georgia law] is worse than Jim Crow.”
10:36 P.M. —
10:35 P.M. —
10:34 P.M. —
10:33 P.M. —
10:31 P.M. —
10:14 P.M. — Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) will soon deliver the Republican rebuttal to Biden’s address.
10:14 P.M. —
10:13 P.M. — Biden wraps up his remarks:
10:09 P.M. — Republicans rip Biden over his immigration policies:
10:05 P.M. — Biden, who faces a growing crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border, urges immigration reform: “For more than 30 years, politicians have talked about immigration reform and we have done nothing about it. It’s time to fix it.” He then calls on Congress to pass reform allowing DREAMers to stay in the country.
10:02 P.M. — Biden declares the U.S. must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines again. “Don’t tell me it can’t be done. We’ve done it before and it worked,” he says.
10:01 P.M. — Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slams Biden’s speech:
9:59 P.M. —
9:56 P.M. — Biden says: “The vast majority of men and women who wear our uniform and badge, do so honorably,” before urging police reform be enacted in Congress in honor of George Floyd.
9:55 P.M. —
9:54 P.M. —
9:52 P.M. —
9:51 P.M. —
9:50 P.M. —
9:47 P.M. — “We’ll become an arsenal for vaccines for other countries,”Biden says, before pledging that the U.S. will play a leading role in inoculating people in other countries.
9:45 P.M. —
9:40 P.M. — Biden says: “Sometimes I have arguments with my friends in the Democratic Party. I think you should be able to become a billionaire or a millionaire but pay your fair share.”
“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 just begin to pay their fair share. Just their fair share,” he adds.
9:38 P.M. — Useful thread by former Trump White House official Stephen Miller on how Trump secured multiple coronavirus vaccines:
9:36 P.M. — Biden pitches more spending: “The American Families Plan will finally provide up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave … No one should have to choose between a job and paycheck or taking care of themselves and a loved one – or a parent, spouse, or child.”
9:33 P.M. — Biden says of Chinese dictator Xi Jinping: “He and other autocrats think that democracies can’t compete in the 21st century with autocracies.” Then says his enacting his spending plans are how the U.S. will combat Beijing’s rise.
9:30 P.M. — Biden calls for an increase in federal funding to defeat cancer. “I know of nothing more bipartisan. So let’s end cancer as we know it,” he says.
9:27 P.M. — Biden calls for the minimum wage to be raised to $15. “No one working 40 hours a week should live below the poverty line,” he says.
9:26 P.M. — “Wall Street didn’t build this country. The middle class built this country. And unions build the middle class,” says Biden.
9:25 P.M. —
9:20 P.M. — Biden says of his “infrastructure” bill: “There’s no reason the blades for wind turbines can’t be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing. No reason why American workers can’t lead the world in the production of electric vehicles and batteries.”
9:19 P.M. — Biden refers to his “infrastructure” package as a “once in a generation investment in America.” “This is the largest jobs plan since World War 2,” he adds.
9:18 P.M. — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) accuses Biden of “systemically embrac[ing]” China during the president’s speech.
9:17 P.M. — Biden claims his administration is on track to reduce child poverty by half, but does not elaborate how.
9:16 P.M. —
9:15 P.M. — “There’s still more work to do to beat this virus. We can’t let our guard down,” Biden says. “But tonight, I can say, because of you, the American people, our progress these past 100 days in one of the worst pandemics in history has been one of the greatest logistical achievements in history.”
9:13 P.M. —
9:10 P.M. — Biden, who often touts the importance of unity, takes veiled shot at former President Donald Trump, saying: “America is rising anew. Choosing hope over fear. Truth over lies. Light over darkness. After 100 days of rescue and renewal, America is ready for takeoff in my view.”
9:09 P.M. —
9:08 P.M. —
9:06 P.M. — Biden has entered the chamber and is first bumping lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
8:59 P.M. —
8:58 P.M. —
8:51 P.M. — Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bump elbows ahead of Biden’s speech.
8:50 P.M. — Biden will refer to the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol as “the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War” in his remarks. Breitbart News’ Joel Pollak fact-checks this claim, writing that it’s absolutely false.
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