***Live Updates*** Joe Biden Delivers First Address to Joint Session of Congress
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:
Senator Tim Scott pic.twitter.com/2CDSVrT5qo
— Alex Plitsas 🇺🇸 (@alexplitsas) April 29, 2021
Senator Tim Scott was a speaker at the Western Conservative Summit. He is a great leader and did a fantastic job this evening! pic.twitter.com/l30DbnX5qs
— Jeff Hunt (@jeffhunt) April 29, 2021
Tim Scott: powerful.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) April 29, 2021
TIM SCOTT 😍😍😍
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) April 29, 2021
Great speech by Tim Scott.
— Dom Giordano (@DomShow1210) April 29, 2021
Best response to a presidential address EVER!#TimScott
— Dave Carney (@granitewinger) April 29, 2021
Tim Scott absolutely crushed it.
— Parker Hamilton Poling (@parkerpoling) April 29, 2021
Tim Scott did the best on the response of anyone that I can remember.
— Rory Cooper (@rorycooper) April 29, 2021
Can’t remember the last GOP presidential hopeful who enhanced his reputation by delivering the SOTU response. But Tim Scott just did exactly that.
— Matthew Continetti (@continetti) April 29, 2021
I love Tim Scott. He’s getting better as he goes!
— Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) April 29, 2021
Tim Scott is killing it tonight.
— Scott Whitlock (@ScottJW) April 29, 2021
We’re looking at a Ron DeSantis/Tim Scott 2024 ticket forming right before our eyes.
— Eddie Scarry (@eScarry) April 29, 2021
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. —
Sen. Tim Scott: “To the single mothers out there, who are working their tails off, working hard, trying to make the ends meet, wondering if it’s worth it: you can bet it is. God bless your amazing effort on the part of your kids.”https://t.co/ryNNtlfEyg pic.twitter.com/wKZ97H4p6A
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 29, 2021
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. —
Tim Scott: “It will be easier to vote in Georgia than in Democrat-run New York.”
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) April 29, 2021
10:35 P.M. —
“America is not a racist country”- Senator Tim Scott
— Rebeccah Heinrichs (@RLHeinrichs) April 29, 2021
10:34 P.M. —
“I get called Uncle Tom and the N word by progressives,” Tim Scott said. Of Dems blocking his policing bill last year: “My friends across the aisle seemed to want an issue.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 29, 2021
10:33 P.M. —
Sen. Tim Scott, who is giving the Republican response, said: ” I’m saddened that millions of kids have lost a year of learning, when they could not afford to lose a single day. Locking vulnerable kids out of the classroom is locking adults out of their future.”
— Bianca Quilantan (@biancaquilan) April 29, 2021
10:31 P.M. —
“Our nation is starving for more than empty platitudes. We need policies and progress that brings us closer together.”
Sen. Tim Scott said that three months into the Biden presidency, “the actions of the president and his party are pulling us further and further apart.” pic.twitter.com/CIOV8Z1ULP
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) April 29, 2021
10:14 P.M. — Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) will soon deliver the Republican rebuttal to Biden’s address.
Y’all ready? pic.twitter.com/nbXkfw549Q
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) April 29, 2021
10:14 P.M. —
Big gaggle with Biden post-speech from Dems (not socially distanced at all). Most Republicans left the chamber right as it ended.
— Leo Shane III (@LeoShane) April 29, 2021
10:13 P.M. — Biden wraps up his remarks:
“There is nothing beyond our capacity, nothing we can’t do, if we do it together. May God bless you all and may God protect our troops.” Biden finishes. And that’s a wrap on the Not-A-State-of-the-Union. pic.twitter.com/ONbYxBqUtk
— Edward Keenan (@thekeenanwire) April 29, 2021
10:09 P.M. — Republicans rip Biden over his immigration policies:
President Biden’s open-border policies and promises of amnesty have caused illegal immigration to skyrocket. Hundreds of thousands are flooding across the border with no consequences, and it’s only getting worse. This is a crisis of his own making.
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) April 29, 2021
Here’s what Biden forgot to mention. On day one he:
❌ halted border wall construction
❌ revoked the national emergency declaration
❌ ended the remain in Mexico policy
❌ returned to the failed Obama-era policy of “catch and release”End result? #BidenBorderCrisis
— Rep. Kevin Brady (@RepKevinBrady) April 29, 2021
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:
So far, President Biden has successfully outlined a radical, socialist agenda for the next 4 years. That should trouble every freedom-loving American.
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) April 29, 2021
9:59 P.M. —
President Biden: “To all the transgender Americans watching at home – especially the young people who are so brave – I want you to know that your president has your back.”
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) April 29, 2021
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. —
Biden: “we won’t ignore what our own intelligence agencies have determined – the most lethal terrorist threat to the homeland today is from white supremacist terrorism.”
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) April 29, 2021
9:54 P.M. —
BIDEN: “I made very clear to Putin that we’re not going to seek escal — excuse me — escalation.” pic.twitter.com/C0sZZ1yH3o
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 29, 2021
9:52 P.M. —
Biden didn’t mention Taiwan in the China tough talk section.
— Eli Lake (@EliLake) April 29, 2021
9:51 P.M. —
Biden says he told President XI that the US will keep military in the South Pacific to prevent any conflicts and wars.
— Herb Scribner (@HerbScribner) April 29, 2021
9:50 P.M. —
Biden still hasn’t mentioned the crisis he created at our southern border.
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) April 29, 2021
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. —
VIRAL MOMENT: Ringtone goes off during President Biden’s speech to #jointsession of Congress. pic.twitter.com/3go2Uvgque
— Forbes (@Forbes) April 29, 2021
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:
It is profoundly disingenuous for Biden, as he’s doing now in his address, to continue to take credit for the vaccine — the reason so many got vaccinated so quickly is because of the supply chains, advanced manufacturing, and logistics established by Trump.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) April 29, 2021
Trump’s policy was “Buy American, Hire American.” Biden conspicuously deleted “Hire American” — because he’s giving away both blue collar and white collar jobs to low-wage visa workers.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) April 29, 2021
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.”
Biden says @FLOTUS, will be “deeply involved” in leading the effort in his American Families Plan to provide 2 free years of preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, and 2 free years of community college after they complete high school.
— darlene superville (@dsupervilleap) April 29, 2021
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.
Calling for boosted federal funding to research and fight disease, @potus Biden says: “This is personal to so many of us. I can think of no more worthy investment. And I know of nothing that is more bipartisan. Let’s end cancer as we know it. It’s within our power.” #JointSession
— Ed O’Keefe (@edokeefe) April 29, 2021
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. —
The Real State of the Union: Joe Biden chose Paris over Pittsburgh.
Rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement.
Blocked the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, eliminating 11,000 jobs.
Blocked new oil and gas leases and drilling permits. pic.twitter.com/1InphRUtE5
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 29, 2021
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.
Pres. Biden: “Throughout our history…public investment in infrastructure has literally transformed America.”
“These are investments we made together as one country—and investments that only the government was in position to make.” https://t.co/C9Fo91RNwe pic.twitter.com/3nOLvwdaIh
— ABC News (@ABC) April 29, 2021
9:18 P.M. — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) accuses Biden of “systemically embrac[ing]” China during the president’s speech.
And Biden’s UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield delivered remarks at a Chinese Communist Party-funded Confucius Institute and refused to call China’s slaughter of the Uyghurs a genocide.
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 29, 2021
9:17 P.M. — Biden claims his administration is on track to reduce child poverty by half, but does not elaborate how.
President Biden says his administration is on track to cut child poverty in half. #JointAddress
— Ryan Houston WPXI (@WPXIRyanHouston) April 29, 2021
9:16 P.M. —
No official “designated survivor” for President Biden’s address tonight, because reduced capacity means most Cabinet members not in attendance. But if there was an attack and all those in the Capitol perished, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen would become president.
— Emily Brooks (@emilyelarsen) April 29, 2021
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.”
President Biden: “There’s still more work to do to beat this virus…but tonight I can say because of you – the American people – our progress has been one of the greatest logistical achievements this country has ever seen.” #JointAddress
LIVE UPDATES: https://t.co/fWE9llcFqX pic.twitter.com/FuU8j5Qdqg— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 29, 2021
9:13 P.M. —
BIDEN: “Go get vaccinated, America! Go and get the vaccination. They’re available.” #JointAddress pic.twitter.com/5g2EPK8BdK
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) April 29, 2021
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. —
And there is the Biden line that will be played countless times: “Now, after just 100 days, I can report to the nation: America is on the move again.” #JointAddress
— Dan Merica (@merica) April 29, 2021
9:08 P.M. —
Biden: “Madame Vice President…Nobody has ever said those words from this podium.” pic.twitter.com/QLqLTdSAZl
— lisa mirando (@LisaMirandoCNN) April 29, 2021
9:06 P.M. — Biden has entered the chamber and is first bumping lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
WATCH: Pres. Biden enters into the chamber ahead of the #JointSession of Congress.
He is announced by the newly sworn-in house sergeant at arms, Major General William Walker, the first African American to serve in the role. pic.twitter.com/UikR9Wlqtl
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) April 29, 2021
Bernie and Biden fist-bump and hug pic.twitter.com/SBdabzB9qj
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2021
8:59 P.M. —
Secretary of State Blinken and Secretary of Defense Austin are the only representatives of Biden’s Cabinet in the House chamber tonight.
— Olivier Knox (@OKnox) April 29, 2021
8:58 P.M. —
WATCH: First Lady Dr. Jill Biden arrives ahead of President Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress. https://t.co/3AT5G9rec3 pic.twitter.com/0WR7MtvyjT
— Cheddar News (@cheddar) April 29, 2021
8:51 P.M. — Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bump elbows ahead of Biden’s speech.
Pool via Getty Images pic.twitter.com/haesiAHMkw
— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) April 29, 2021
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.
Biden to refer to Jan 6 insurrection as “the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War” in speech tonight. pic.twitter.com/rW6L2ybDRQ
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) April 28, 2021
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