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

On the eve of ending his symbolic 100 days at the head of the executive power, Joe Biden will speak for the first time as President of the United States this Wednesday before Congress in Washington DC, in a ceremony that maintains a very important tradition in America. politics, but it is that it will once incorporate a historical image.

A major development in this presidential address on Capitol Hill will be that The president will be escorted by two women, the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and by Kamala Harris, the first woman to become vice president of the North American country.

Pelosi and Harris will be seated behind and on either side of Biden during his address to a joint session of Congress, leading up to an event that will occur for the first time since the country’s founding 245 years ago.

“Representation is important and it is high time we saw two women at the helm representing the highest civilian offices in the United States government. When women of all ages listen to Wednesday night’s speech, they’ll see each other in Pelosi and Harris, ”Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen told the newspaper. USA today.

“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time, but it will mean even more when we finally have a female president who speaks to Congress,” added California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, also speaking with USA today.

In his first speech to Congress, Biden will seek to express his desire for reform and is expected to announce the end of tax cuts for the richest, approved by his predecessor Donald Trump. The president will present his project for “American families,” which the government says is a “historic investment” in education and childhood.

The statement is eagerly awaited, as announcements are expected on how his administration will fund his ambitious plans. Among the measures, a tax increase for the richest 0.3% of the population stands out.

“The president is going to propose a series of measures to ensure that the richest pay their taxes, while ensuring that no one who earns less than $ 400,000 a year does not suffer a tax increase,” said a member. from the government that asked not to be identified.

The speech will also mark the start of a bitter debate in Congress, because even though his $ 1.9 trillion relief plan for an economy heavily burdened by the pandemic managed to pass, the debate over his gigantic plan to infrastructure and its educational reform generates further divisions.

In the solemn gallery of the chamber, the Democratic president probably will highlight the “impressive” progress made by the country in the fight against covid-19, in the words he used Tuesday to describe the rapid vaccination campaign.

“The president has been working on this speech for several weeks,” said Jen Psaki, White House spokeswoman, who pledged the speech would also cover the diplomatic field.

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

Presidential speeches on Capitol Hill are marked with pomp and solemnity, but this year the ceremony which begins at 9:00 p.m. EDT 1:00 GMT on Thursday is taking place in a special light, marked by the pandemic.

Instead of the 1,600 people who usually attend the event, capacity has been limited to 200. And lawmakers have been urged to come up with a guest list, but “virtual.”

Chief Justice John Roberts will be the sole representative of the highest court; foreign minister Antony Blinken also got a quota, along with Pentagon secretary Lloyd Austin, but the rest of the government will have to watch the speech on television.

With the pandemic, it will not be necessary to choose the “designated survivor” a tradition that a cabinet member has remained in hiding so that there can be continuity of government if the building, in which virtually all three powers are located, suffers a fatal attack.

The atmosphere should be much more relaxed than the last speech of a US president in Congress, the State of the Union report by Republican Trump in February 2020. Prior to the start of the ceremony, Trump was openly avoiding shake hands with Pelosi and when he was done speaking, the leader of the Democratic caucus visibly tore the paper containing the speech.

With information from AFP

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