US President to deliver first address to Congress on April 28

WASHINGTON • President Joe Biden will deliver his first address to a joint session of Congress on April 28, right before his 100th day in office.

Mr Biden on Tuesday night accepted the invitation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"Nearly 100 days ago, when you took the oath of office, you pledged in a spirit of great hope that 'Help Is On The Way'. Now, because of your historic and transformative leadership, Help Is Here," Ms Pelosi said in a letter to the President.

"In that spirit, I am writing to invite you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Wednesday, April 28, to share your vision for addressing the challenges and opportunities of this historic moment," she said.

While Mr Biden will deliver the speech in the House chamber, other aspects of the night's format - including coronavirus-testing requirements, who will be able to attend in person, and security plans - have yet to be established, said an official involved with the planning.

After taking office on Jan 20 to replace Mr Donald Trump, Mr Biden has hit the ground running with an ambitious agenda to tackle the coronavirus crisis and its devastating effect on the world's largest economy.

He has escalated the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines and is working to pass, along party lines, a US$1.9 trillion (S$2.5 trillion) pandemic relief Bill.

A pledge to administer 100 million vaccine shots during his first 100 days in office was bumped to 200 million shots as the pace of vaccinations increased. He also vowed to reopen most schools for in-person lessons by his 100th day in office.

Mr Biden has now shifted his focus to building support for a US$2.25 trillion infrastructure package called the American Jobs Plan and is also preparing to roll out the American Families Plan, which will include proposals on education and healthcare.

The President has also moved aggressively to reverse Mr Trump's "America First" go-it-alone foreign policy eschewing traditional US alliances and international cooperation on issues including climate change.

The 100-day point has long been an important marker for a new president's promises and aspirations. Mr Biden's predecessors dating to Mr Ronald Reagan all gave their first speeches to a joint session of Congress by the end of February. But with the relief Bill still in progress then, the White House chose to hold off until the 100-day milestone.

BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE