President Joe Biden was due to give his first prime-time speech since taking office on Thursday, marking one year of coronavirus pandemic shutdowns with remarks intended to look back on the scope of damage and look forward to a post-pandemic future.
Biden's 1st prime-time address to the nation
The speech was scheduled just hours after Biden signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package into law on Thursday, his first legislative accomplishment since assuming office less than two months earlier. This bill would inject billions into the US economy and increase support for vaccinations, testing, and school reopenings. The speech is due to commence at 8 p.m. ET and will last about 20 minutes, as per the NBC News on MSN.
According to the White House, the bill, which Republicans unanimously rejected in Congress, would provide millions of Americans with $1,400 stimulus checks as soon as this weekend. The White House is preparing a victory lap to commemorate the milestone, with President Barack Obama, First Lady Jill Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris traveling next week.
His speech comes as the world focuses on a year of the tragedy that has taken more than 500,000 lives and resulted in millions of unemployed people. It also arrives at a moment of optimism: the United States is delivering almost two million vaccines every day, with enough vaccines on the way to vaccinate every adult in the world by the end of May.
According to a senior administration official, the remarks would seek to balance these two conditions. His tone would be "somber" in part as he focuses on the lives lost and demonstrates that "there is hope," according to the official. Biden, along with Chief of Staff Ron Klain, senior strategist Mike Donilon, director of speechwriting Vinay Reddy, and members of the White House coronavirus response team, collaborated on his speech overnight.
Biden said Wednesday that he would "speak about what we went through as a country this past year" in his remarks. About the fact that the speech comes after the signing of the COVID-19 relief bill, Biden is unlikely to devote any of his speech to celebrating the legislative success. On Friday, the White House expects to host a more formal ceremony in the White House Rose Garden to commemorate the bill signing, including members of Congress.
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Biden will use prime-time address make all adults vaccine-eligible
President Biden will use his first prime-time speech to introduce a new order to states requiring all adults to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by May 1. But his delivery of the letter to states will be followed by a notice to citizens that being eligible for the first vaccination does not ensure that they will get one earlier. It can, however, get them closer together, the Washington Examiner reported.
A senior administration official told reporters a few hours before Biden's scheduled 8 p.m. address on his virus response and next steps in combating the year-old epidemic, "It won't be an automatic thing. This depends on the citizens of the United States doing their part."
Meaning, Biden will once again encourage people to wear masks, remain 6 feet apart, and obey CDC rules, even though some states, such as Texas and Mississippi, have lifted business restrictions and eliminated mask requirements.
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Biden thinks there could be some semblance of normalcy
According to another senior administration official, the president intended to communicate to Americans that if we all do our part, there's a fair possibility that families, friends, and neighbors will be able to meet in small communities to celebrate Independence Day on July Fourth.
Biden would say he wants small gatherings, such as backyard barbecues, to be safe if Americans meet CDC guidelines, which include wearing a mask, socially distancing, and "taking a vaccine when it's your time," officials said. The CDC aims to give Americans more guidance about traveling, small gatherings, going to work, and houses of worship ahead of Independence Day, as per ABC News via Yahoo.
