Joe Biden Lays Out Sweeping Vision To Transform The American Economy

In his first speech to Congress, the president called his American Jobs Plan "a once-in-a-generation investment in America itself."

President Joe Biden’s first address to Congress, a capstone of the Democrat’s first 100 days in office, reflected his administration so far: focused on recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, free of drama, outwardly solicitous of the Republican Party and closely linked to his ambitious campaign trail proposals, which have the potential to reshape the American government’s relationship with the economy.  The centerpiece of the speech was the rollout of the $1.9 trillion American Families Plan, which would create the first federal paid leave program along with entitlements for child care and pre-kindergarten education, make community college tuition-free and extend a massive child tax credit that would cut child poverty in half. Biden proposed paying for the plan by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans.  If all of the proposals Biden mentioned in the speech somehow became law, it would amount to a transformation of the social safety net and a massive expansion of educational opportunities in the country, potentially ending a 40-year period in which the focus of presidents was on shrinking the government rather than using it to help the poor and the middle-class.