For the first time, two women will accompany the President of the United States in his speech to Congress

On the eve of his 100th day as President of the Executive, Joe Biden will speak as President of the United States for the first time this Wednesday in front of Congress in Washington, DC, in a ceremony that maintains a very important tradition in America. Policy, but this time it will include a historical picture.

It will be a significant development in this presidential speech on Capitol Hill Accompanying the two presidents will be the Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and Kamala Harris, the first woman to become a vice president of the North American country.

Pelosi and Harris will sit behind Biden and next to him during his speech in a joint session of Congress, leading to an event that will happen for the first time since the state was founded 245 years ago.

Representation matters and it is high time we see two women on stage representing the highest civilian positions in the United States government. “When women of all ages hear the speech on Wednesday evening, they will see each other in Pelosi and Harris,” Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen told the newspaper. USA Today.

California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who also spoke with him USA Today.

In his first speech to Congress, Biden will seek to translate his will to reform and must announce an end to tax cuts for the wealthy, which his predecessor, Donald Trump, agreed. The president will present his project to “American families,” which, according to the government, is a “historic investment” in education and childhood.

This statement is highly anticipated, as it should declare how his administration will finance his ambitious projects. Among the measures that stand out is an increase in taxes for the richest 0.3% of the population.

“The president will propose a series of measures to ensure the wealthy pay their taxes, and to make sure that no one earning less than $ 400,000 a year is exposed to a tax increase,” said a government member, speaking on condition of anonymity. .

This speech will also mark the start of a bitter debate in Congress, as despite the approval of the $ 1.9 trillion aid plan for the pandemic-dominated economy, the debate over the gigantic infrastructure plan and education reform leads to further divisions.

In the hallway, he might be the Democratic president It will highlight the “impressive” progress the country has made in combating COVID-19In the words he used Tuesday to describe the rapid vaccination campaign.

“The president has worked on this speech for several weeks,” said Jane Psaki, a White House spokeswoman, who promised that the letter would cover the diplomatic sphere.

The spokesperson also indicated that Biden will speak about it The determination that the United States “regain its place in the world” and deal with relations with China.

Presidential speeches on Capitol Hill are lively and solemn, but this year’s celebration will begin at 9 pm (Thursday 1 am GMT) in a private, epidemic atmosphere.

Instead of 1,600 people usually attending the event, capacity was limited to 200 people. Lawmakers have been urged to propose a “default” guest list.

The Chief Justice, John Roberts, will be the sole representative of the highest court; The chief of diplomacy, Anthony Blinken, has also received attention, as has the Secretary of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, but the rest of the government will have to watch the speech on TV.

In the event of a pandemic, it will not be necessary to select a “specific survivor” A tradition that a cabinet member remained hidden so that there could be continuity of government if the building, in which the nearly three authorities were located, came under a fatal attack.

The mood is expected to be more relaxed than the US president’s last speech to Congress, Republican Trump’s State of the Union Report in February 2020. Before the ceremony began, Trump publicly avoided shaking hands with Pelosi when it ended. In his speech, the head of the Democratic Assembly clearly tore the paper containing the speech.

With information from the French news agency

Read on: