Biden speech takeaways: Government is good, and so are jobs
ZEKE MILLER and AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press
April 28, 2021
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1of9President Joe Biden arrives to speak to a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)Melina Mara/APShow MoreShow Less
2of9President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP)Chip Somodevilla/APShow MoreShow Less
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4of9President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, Wednesday, April 28, 2021, in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP)Caroline Brehman/APShow MoreShow Less
Biden uttered the word “jobs” a whopping 43 times, according to his prepared text. It’s perhaps no surprise for an administration that has made beating backing the pandemic and getting Americans back to work the central guideposts in the early going of the administration. Biden noted that the economy has gained some 1.3 million new jobs in the first few months of his administration more than any in the first 100 days of any presidency. But he quickly pivoted to the need to pass his American Jobs Plan if the country is going to sustain momentum and get back to the historic low levels of unemployment prior to the pandemic.
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Republicans took issue with the price tag on President Joe Biden’s agenda following his speech before a small group of House and Senate lawmakers at Wednesday night’s joint session of Congress.
Biden unveiled his American Family Plan, which stands at $1.8 trillion. Along with the administration’s $2.5 trillion American Jobs Plan and the already-signed $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which comes out at a total of $6.2 trillion. The administration claims that it will be “fully paid for” in 15 years and bring down the deficit. 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. Seventy-five percent don’t require an associate’s degree, Biden said in his address. The Americans Jobs Plan is a blue-c
Updated April 28
Takeaways from Biden’s speech: Government is good, and so are jobs
The president makes the case that his administration has made progress in its first 100 days, confronting the public health and economic crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
By ZEKE MILLER and AAMER MADHANIAssociated Press
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WASHINGTON President Biden on Wednesday returned to the U.S. Capitol, his home for more than three decades, and used his first address to Congress to make the case that the era of big government is back.
He said the U.S. is “on the move again” after struggling through a devastating pandemic that killed more than 570,000 Americans, disrupted the economy and shook daily life. And he pitched an expansive and expensive vision to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges, water pipes and other infrastructure, bolster public education and extend a wide swath of other benefits.