Joe Biden Speech Transcript to Congress April 28

Joe Biden: (12:23) Waited a long time to do this. [inaudible 00:12:23] Thanks for having me. Okay. Nancy Pelosi: (12:23) Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor to present to you the President of the United States. Joe Biden: (12:35) Can't get the mask off that easy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [inaudible 00:13:09] and Chuck will understand it's good to be almost home, down the hall. Anyway, thank you all. Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President. [inaudible 00:13:21] Joe Biden: (13:25) No President has ever said those words from this podium. No President has ever said those words, and it's about time. First Lady, I'm her husband. Second Gentleman. Chief Justice. Members of the United States Congress and the cabinet, distinguished guests, my fellow Americans. Joe Biden: (14:08) While the setting tonight is familiar. This gathering is just a little bit different. A reminder of the extraordinary times we're in. Throughout our history, presidents have come to this chamber to speak to Congress, to the Nation and to the world. To declare war, to celebrate peace, to announce new plans and possibilities. Joe Biden: (14:35) Tonight, I come to talk about crisis and opportunity. About rebuilding a nation, revitalizing our democracy and winning the future for America. I stand here tonight, one day shy of the 100th day of my administration. A hundred days since I took the oath of office and lifted my hand off our family Bible and inherited a nation, we all did, that was in crisis. The worst pandemic in the century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. Joe Biden: (15:18) Now after just 100 days, I can report to the nation, America is on the move again. Turning peril into possibility, crisis to opportunity, setbacks into strength. We all know life can knock us down, but in America we never ever, ever stay down. Americans always get up. Today, that's what we're doing. America's rising anew, choosing hope over fear, truth over lies and light over darkness. Joe Biden: (16:08) After 100 days of rescue and renewal, America's ready for a takeoff in my view. We're working again, dreaming again, discovering again, and leading the world again. We have shown each other and the world that there's no Quit in America. None. One hundred days ago, America's house was on fire and we had to act. Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Schumer, and the overwhelming support of the American people, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, we did act. Joe Biden: (16:51) Together we passed the American Rescue Plan. One of the most consequential rescue packages in American history. We're already seeing the results. We're already seeing the results. After I promised we'd get 100 million COVID-19 vaccine shots into people's arms in 100 days, we will have provided over 220 million COVID shots in those 100 days. Thanks to all the help of all of you. Joe Biden: (17:29) With your help, everyone's help we're marshaling every federal resource. We've gotten vaccines in nearly 40,000 pharmacies and over 700 community health centers where the poorest of the poor can be reached. We're setting up community vaccination sites, developing mobile units to get to hard-to-reach communities. Today, 90% of Americans now live within five miles of a vaccination site. Everyone over the age of 16, everyone, is now eligible to get vaccinated right now, right away. Go get vaccinated America. Go and get the vaccination. They're available. You're eligible now. When I was sworn in on January 20th, less than 1% of the seniors in America were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. One hundred days later, 70% of seniors in America over 65 are protected, fully protected. Senior deaths from COVID-19 are down 80% since January. Down 80%, because of all of you. And more than half of all the adults in America have gotten at least one shot. A mass vaccination center in Glendale, Arizona, I asked the nurse, I said, "What's it like?" She looked at me and she said, "It's like every shot is giving a dose of hope." That was her phrasing, "A dose of hope." A dose of hope for an educator in Florida who has a child suffering from an autoimmune disease, wrote to me said she's worried about bringing the virus home. She said she then got vaccinated at a large site in her car. She said she sat in her car when she got vaccinated and just cried. Cried out of joy and cried out of relief. Joe Biden: (19:45) Parents seeing the smiles on the kids' faces for those who were able to go back to school because the teachers and school bus drivers and cafeteria workers have been vaccinated. Grandparents hugging their children and grandchildren instead of pressing hands against the window to say goodbye- Joe Biden: (20:03) ... instead of pressing hands against the window to say goodbye, it means everything. Those things mean everything. There's still, you all know it, you know it better than any group of Americans. There's still more work to do to beat this virus. We can't let our guard down. But tonight I can say it because of you, the American people, our progress these past 100 days against one of the worst pandemics in history, has been one of the greatest logistical achievements this country has ever seen. What else have we done in those first 100 days? We kept our commitment, Democrats and Republicans, of sending $1,400 rescue checks to 85% of American households. We already sent more than 160 million checks out the door. It's making a difference. You all know it when you go home. For many people it's making all the difference in the world. Joe Biden: (21:12) A single mom in Texas who wrote me, she said she couldn't work, but she said the relief check put food on the table and saved her and her son from eviction from their apartment. A grandmother in Virginia who told me she immediately took her granddaughter to the eye doctor, something she said she put off for months because she didn't have the money. One of the defining images at least from my perspective in this crisis has been cars lined up, cars lined up for miles. Not people who just barely ever start those cars, nice cars lined up for miles, waiting for a box of food to be put in their trunk. I don't know about you, but I didn't ever think I'd see that in America. All of this is through no fault of their own. No fault of their own these people are in this position. That's why the Rescue Plan is delivering food and nutrition assistance to millions of Americans facing hunger, and hunger is down sharply already. Joe Biden: (22:29) We're also providing rental assistance. You all know this, but the American people I want to make sure they understand. Keeping people from being evicted from their homes. Providing loans to small businesses that reopened and keep their employees on the job. During these 100 days an additional 800,000 Americans enrolled in the Affordable Care Act, when I established a special sign up period to do that. 800,000 in that period. We're making one of the largest one-time ever investments ever in improving healthcare for veterans. Critical investments to address the opioid crisis. Maybe most importantly, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we're on track to cut child poverty in America in half this year. In the process, while this was all going on the economy created more than 1, 300,000 new jobs in 100 days. More jobs in the first 100 days than any president on record. The International Monetary Fund is now estimating our economy will grow at a rate of more than six percent this year. That'd be the fastest pace of economic growth in this country in nearly four decades. America's moving, moving forward, but we can't stop now. We're in competition with China and other countries to win the 21st century. We're at a great inflection point in history. We have to do more than just build back better. To build back you have to build back better. We have to compete more strenuously than we have. Throughout our history if you think about it, public investment in infrastructure has literally transformed America, our attitudes as well as our opportunities. The transcontinental railroad, the interstate highways, united two oceans and brought a totally new age of progress to the United States of America. Universal public schools and college aid open wide the doors of opportunity. Scientific breakthroughs took us to the moon, now we're on Mars, discovering vaccines, gave us the internet and so much more. Joe Biden: (25:23) These are investments we made together as one country, and investments that only the government was in a position to make. Time and again they propel us into the future. That's why I propose the American Jobs Plan, a once in a generation investment in American itself. This is the largest Jobs plan since World War II. It creates jobs to upgrade our transportation infrastructure. Jobs modernizing our roads, bridges, highways. Jobs building ports and airports, rail [inaudible 00:26:01], transit lines. It's clean water. Joe Biden: (26:06) Today up to 10 million homes in America and more than 400,000 schools and childcare centers have pipes with lead in them, including drinking water, a clear and present danger to our children's health. American Jobs Plan creates jobs replacing 100% of the nation's lead pipes and service lines, so every American can drink clean water. The process will create thousands and thousands of good paying jobs. It creates jobs connecting every American with high speed internet, including 35% of the rural America that still doesn't have it. It's going to help our kids and our businesses succeed in the 21st century economy. I'm asking the vice president to lead this effort if she would. Speaker 10: (27:11) Of course. Joe Biden: (27:13) Because I know it'll get done. Creates jobs building a modern power grid. Our grids are vulnerable to storms, hacks, catastrophic failures with tight tragic results, as we saw in Texas and elsewhere during the winter storms. The American Jobs Plan will create jobs to lay thousands of miles of transmission lines needed to build a resilient and fully clean grid. We can do that. Look, the American Jobs Plan will help millions of people get back to their jobs and back to their careers. Two million women have dropped out of the workforce during this pandemic, two million. Too often because they couldn't get the care they needed to care for their child or care for an elderly parent who needs help. 800,000 families are on the Medicare waiting list right now to get home care for their aging parent or loved one with disability. If you think it's not important check out in your own district, Democrat or Republican. Joe Biden: (28:38) Democrat or Republican voters, their great concern almost as much as the children is taking care of an elderly loved one who can't be left alone. Medicaid contemplated it, but this plan is going to help those families and create jobs for our caregivers with better wages and better benefits, continuing to cycle growth. For too long we've failed to use the most important word when it comes to meeting the climate crisis, jobs, jobs, jobs. For me when I think climate change I think jobs. The American Jobs Plan will put engineers and construction workers to work building more energy efficient buildings and homes. Electrical workers, IBEW members installing 500,000 charging stations along our highways, so we can own the electric car market. Farmers planting cover crops so they can reduce the carbon dioxide in the air and get paid for doing it. Joe Biden: (30:10) Look, think about it, there is simply no reason why the blades for wind turbines can't be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing. No reason, none, no reason. So folks there's no reason why American workers can't lead the world in the production of electric vehicles and batteries, I mean there's no reason, we have the capacity. We have the brightest best trained people in the world. The American Jobs Plan is going to create millions of good paying jobs, jobs Americans can raise a family on, as my dad would then say with a little breathing room. All the investments in the American Job Plan will be guided by one principle, buy American, buy American. I might note parenthetically, that does not violate any trade agreement, it's been the law since the 30s buy American. American tax dollars are going to be used to buy American products made in America to create American jobs. That's the way it's supposed to be and it will be in this administration. Joe Biden: (31:40) I've made it clear to all my cabinet people, their ability to give exemptions has been strenuously limited. It will be American products. Now I know some of you at home are wondering whether these jobs are for you. So many of you, so many of the folks I grew up with feel left behind, forgotten, in an economy that's so rapidly changing, it's frightening. I want to speak directly to you. Because you think about it, that's what people are most worried about, can I fit in? Independent experts estimate the American Jobs Plan will add millions of jobs and trillions of dollars to economic growth in the years to come. It is a eight year program. These are good paying jobs that can't be outsourced. Nearly 90% of the infrastructure jobs created in American Jobs Plan do not require a college degree. 75% don't require an associate's degree. Joe Biden: (32:50) The American Jobs Plan is a blue collar blueprint to build America. That's what it is. It recognizes something I've always said in this chamber and the other, good guys and women are in Wall Street, but Wall Street didn't build this country. The middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class. That's why I'm calling on Congress to pass Protect The Right to Organize Act, the PRO Act, and send it to my desk so we can support the right to unionize. By the way, while you're thinking about sending things to my desk, let's raise the minimum wage to $15. No one working 40 hours a week should live below the poverty line. We need to ensure greater equity and opportunity for women, and while we're doing this, let's get the Paycheck Fairness Act to my desk as well, equal pay. They spent much too long. If you're wondering whether it's too long, look behind me. Finally, American Jobs Plan will be the biggest increase in non-defense research and development on record. Joe Biden: (34:29) We'll see more technological change, and some of you know more about this than I do. We'll see more technological change in the next 10 years than we saw in the last 50. That's how rapidly artificial intelligence and so much more is changing. We're falling behind the competition with the rest of the world. Decades ago, we used to invest two percent of our gross domestic product in America, two percent of our gross domestic product in research and development. Today Mr. Secretary, that's less than one percent. China and other countries are closing in fast. We have to develop and dominate the products and technologies of the future. Advanced batteries, biotechnology, computer chips, clean energy. The secretary of defense can tell you, and those of you working NASA security issues know, the Defense Department has an agency called DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency. Joe Biden: (35:44) The people who set up before I came here and that's been a long time ago, to develop breakthroughs that enhance our national security. That's their only job. It's a semi-separate agency, it's under the Defense Department. It's led to everything from discovery of the internet, to GPS and so much more. It's enhanced our security. The National Institute of Health, the NIH I believe should create a similar advanced research projects agency for health. This is what it would do, it would have a singular purpose to develop breakthroughs to prevent, detect and treat diseases like Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer. I'll still never forget when we passed the cancer proposal in the last year I was vice president, almost nine million dollars going to NIH. I've excused the point of personal privilege, I'll never forget you standing and mentioning saying name it after my deceased son, it meant a lot. Joe Biden: (37:03) But so many of us have deceased sons, daughters and relatives who died of cancer. I can think of no more worthy investment. I know of nothing that is more bipartisan. So let's end cancer as we know it, it's within our power, it's within our power to do it. Investments in jobs and infrastructure like the ones we're talking about have often had bipartisan support in the past. Vice President Harris and I met regularly in the Oval Office with Democrats and Republicans and discussed the Jobs Plan. I applaud a group of Republican senators who just put forward their own proposal. So let's get to work. I wanted to lay out before the Congress my plan, before we got into the deep discussions. I'd like to meet with those who have ideas that are different, they think are better, I welcome those ideas. Joe Biden: (38:16) But the rest of the world is not waiting for us. I just want to be clear, from my perspective doing nothing is not an option. Look, we can't be so busy competing with one another that we forget the competition that we have with the rest of the world to win the 21st century. Secretary Blinken can tell you I spent a lot of time with President Xi, traveled over 17,000 miles with him. Spent they tell me over 24 hours in private discussions with him. When he called to congratulate me we had a two hour discussion. Joe Biden: (39:07) He's deadly earnest about becoming the most significant consequential nation in the world. He and others, autocrats, think that democracy can't compete in the 21st century with autocracies, because it takes too long to get consensus. To win that competition for the future in my view, we also need to make a once in a generation investment in our families and our children. That's why I've introduced the American Families Plan tonight, which addresses four of the biggest challenges facing American families in [inaudible 00:39:54] America. First is access to good education. When this nation made 12 years of public education universal in the last century- Joe Biden: (40:03) ... of years of public education universal in the last century, it made us the best educated, best prepared nation in the world. It's, I believe the overwhelming reason that propelled us to wherever we got in the 20th century, but the world has caught up or catching up, they're not waiting. I would say parenthetically, if we were we're sitting down, we've set a bipartisan committee together and said, "Okay, we're going to decide what we do in terms of government providing for free education." I wonder whether we'd think as we did in the 20th century, that 12 years is enough in the 21st century. I doubt it. Joe Biden: (40:47) 12 years is no longer enough today to compete with the rest of the world in 21st century. That's why my American Families Plan guarantees four additional years of public education to person every America, starting as early as we can. The great universities in this country have conducted studies over last 10 years. It shows that adding in two years of universal high quality pre-school for every three-year-old and four-year-old no matter what background they come from, puts them in the position to be able to compete all the way through 12 years, and increases exponentially their prospect of graduating and going on and beyond graduation. Research shows when a young child goes to school, not daycare, they're far more likely to graduate from high school, and go to college or something after high school. When you add two years of free community college on top of that, you begin to change the dynamic. We can do that. Joe Biden: (41:56) And we'll increase Pell Grants and invest in historical black colleges and universities, tribal colleges, minority serving institutions. The reason is, they don't have the endowments. But their students are just as capable of learning about cyber security, just as capable of learning about metallurgy, all the things that are going on to provide those jobs in the future. Jill was a community college professor who teaches today as First Lady. She's long said, I've heard it once, I've heard it, a thousand times, "Joe, any country that out-educates us is going to out-compete us." She'll be deeply involved in leading this effort. Thank you, Jill. Joe Biden: (43:09) Second thing we need American Families Plan will provide access to quality, affordable childcare. We guarantee... When I proposed in that legislation, we guarantee that low and middle-income families will pay no more than 7% of their income for high-quality care for children up to the age of five. The most hard-pressed working families won't have to spend a dime. Joe Biden: (43:49) Third. The American Families Plan will finally provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave and medical leave, family medical leave. We're one of the few industrial countries in the world, no one should have to choose between a job and a paycheck or taking care of themselves and their loved ones or parent or spouse or child. And forth, the American Family Plan puts directly into the pockets of millions of Americans. In March, we expanded tax credit for every child in a family up to $3,000 per child, if you're under six years of age, I'm assuming, over six years of age, and $3,600 for children over six years of age. With two parents, two kids, that's $7,200 in the pockets you're getting to help take care of your family. And that will help more than 65 million children and help cut childcare poverty in half, and we can afford it. So we did that in the last piece of legislation we passed, but let's extend that childcare tax credit, at least through the end of 2025. Joe Biden: (45:15) The American Rescue Plan lowered healthcare premiums for 9 million Americans who buy their coverage under the Affordable Care Act. I know that's really popular on this side of the aisle, but let's make that provision permanent so their premiums don't go back up. In addition, to my Families Plan, I'm going to work with Congress to address this year, other critical priorities for American families. The Affordable Care Act has been a lifeline for millions of Americans, protecting people with pre-existing conditions, protecting women's health, and the pandemic has demonstrated how badly, how badly it's needed. Let's lower deductibles for working families in the Affordable Care Act. And let's lower prescription drug costs. Joe Biden: (46:17) We know how to do this. The last president had that as an objective. We all know how outrageously expensive drugs are in America. In fact, we pay the highest prescription drug prices of anywhere in the world, right here in America. Nearly three times for the same drug, nearly three times what other countries pay. We have to change that and we can. Let's do what we talked about for all the years I was down here in this body, in Congress. Let's give Medicare the power to save hundreds of billions of dollars by negotiating lower drug prescription prices. Joe Biden: (47:06) And by the way, it won't just help people on Medicare, lower prescription drug costs for everyone. And the money we save, which is billions of dollars can go to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, and even expand Medicare coverage benefits without costing taxpayers an additional penny. It's within our power to do it. Let's do it now. We've talked about it long enough, Democrats and Republicans let's get it done this year. This is all about a simple premise. Healthcare should be a right and not a privilege in America. So, how do we pay for my jobs with Family Plan? I made it clear, we can do it without increasing the deficits. Let's start with what I will not do. I will not impose any tax increase on people making less than $400,000, but it's time for corporate America and the wealthiest 1% of Americans to just begin to pay their fair share. Just their fair share. Joe Biden: (48:38) Sometimes, I have arguments with my friends in the Democratic Party. I think you should be able to become a billionaire and a millionaire, but pay your fair share. Recent study shows that 55 in the nation's biggest corporations paid zero federal tax last year. Those 55 corporations made an excess of $40 billion in profit. A lot of companies also evade taxes through tax havens and Switzerland and Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. And they benefit from tax loopholes and deductions for offshoring jobs and shifting profits overseas. It's not right. We're going to reform corporate taxes so they pay their fair share and help pay for the public investments their businesses will benefit from as well. Joe Biden: (49:43) We're going to reward work, not just wealth. We take the top tax bracket for the wealthiest 1% of Americans, those making over $400,000 or more, back up to where it was when George W. Bush was president, when it started, 39.6%. That's where it was when George W. was president. We're going to get rid of the loopholes and allow Americans to make more than a million dollars a year and pay a lower tax rate on their capital gains than Americans who receive a paycheck. We're only going to affect three tenths of 1% of all Americans by that action, three tenths of 1%. And the IRS is going to crack down on millionaires and billionaires who cheat on their taxes. It's estimated to be billions of dollars by think tanks of the left, right and center. Joe Biden: (50:40) I'm not looking to punish anybody. But I will not add a tax burden, additional tax burden of middle-class in this country. They're already paying enough. I believe what I propose is fair, fiscally responsible and it raises revenue to pay for the plans I propose and will create millions of jobs that will grow the economy and enhance our financial standing in the country. When you hear someone say they don't want to raise taxes on the wealthiest 1% or corporate America, ask them, "Whose taxes do you want to raise?" And instead, whose are we going to cut. Look, the big tax cut of 2017. You remember, it was supposed to pay for itself, that was how it was sold. And generate vast economic growth. Instead, it added $2 trillion to the deficit. It was a huge windfall for corporate America and those at the very top. Instead of using the tax saving to raise wages and invest in research and development, it poured billions of dollars into the pocket of the CEOs. In fact, the pay gap between CEOs and their workers is now among the largest in history. According to one study, CEOs make 320 times what the average worker in their corporation makes. Used to be in the, below 100. The pandemic is only made things worse. 20 million Americans lost their job in the pandemic, working and middle-class Americans. At the same time, roughly 650 billionaires in America saw their net worth increase by more than $1 trillion, in the same exact period. Let me say it again, 650 people increase their wealth by more than $1 trillion during this pandemic. And they're now worth more than $4 trillion. My fellow Americans trickle-down. Trickle-down economics has never worked, and it's time to grow the economy from the bottom and the middle out. There's a broad consensus of economist left, right and center, and they agree what I'm proposing will help create millions of jobs and generate historic economic growth. These are among the highest values in investments we can make as a nation. I've often said, "Our greatest strength is the power of our example, not just the example of our power." My conversations with world leaders, and I've spoken to over 38, 40 of them now. I've made it known that America's back. You know what they say? A comment that I hear most of all for them. So they say, "We see America's back, but for how long? But for how long?" My fellow Americans, we have to show not just that we're back, but we're back to stay. And that we aren't going to go alone. We're going to do it by leading with our allies. Joe Biden: (54:17) No one nation to deal with all of the crises of our time from terrorism, to nuclear proliferation, mass migration, cybersecurity, climate change, as well as what we're experiencing now with pandemics. There's no wall high enough to keep any virus out. And our own vaccine supply, as it grows to meet our needs and we're meeting them, we'll become an arsenal for vaccines for other countries, just as America's the arsenal for democracy for the world. And the consequence influence of the world. But every American will have access before that... Every American will have access to be fully covered by COVID-19 for the vaccines we have. Joe Biden: (55:14) Look, the climate crisis is not our fight alone. It's a global fight. The United States accounts as all of you know, less than 50% of carbon emissions. The rest of the world accounts for 85%. That's why I kept my commitment to rejoin the Paris Accord, because if we do everything perfectly, it's not going to only matter. I kept my commitment to convene a climate summit right here in America, with all the major economies of the world, China, Russia, India, European Union. I said I'd do it my first 100 days. I want to be very blunt about it. My attempt was to make sure that the world could see there was a consensus that we are at an inflection point in history. And consensus is if we act to save the planet, we can create millions of jobs and economic growth and opportunity to raise the standard of living to almost everyone around the world. Joe Biden: (56:20) If you'd watched any of it and you were all busy, I'm sure you didn't have much time. That's what virtually every nation said. Even the ones that aren't doing their fair share. The investments I proposed tonight also advance the foreign policy, in my view, the benefits of the middle class. That means making sure every nation plays by the same rules in the global economy, including China. In my discussion with President Xi, I told him we welcome the competition. We're not looking for conflict, but I made absolutely clear that we will defend America's interests across the board. America will stand up to unfair trade practices and undercut American workers and American industries, like subsidies from state to state-owned operations and enterprises, and the theft of American technology intellectual property. I also told President Xi, that we'll maintain a strong military presence in the Indo-Pacific just as we do with NATO and Europe. Not to start a conflict, but to prevent one. Joe Biden: (57:27) I told him what I've said to many world leaders that America will not back away from our commitments. Our commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms and our alliances. I pointed out to him, no responsible American president could remain silent when basic human rights are being so blatantly violated. An American president has to represent the essence of what our country stands for. America is an idea. The most unique idea in history. We are created all of us equal. It's who we are, and we cannot walk away from that principle, and in fact, say we're dealing with the American idea. Joe Biden: (58:28) With regard to Russia, I know it concerns some of you, but I made it very clear to Putin that we're not going to seek escalation, but their actions will have consequence if they turn out to be true and they turned out to be true. So I responded directly proportionally to Russia's interference on our elections and the cyber attacks on our government and our business. They did both of these things, and I told them we would respond and we have. But we can also cooperate when it's our mutual interest. We did it when we extended the New START Treaty on nuclear arms, and we're working to do it on climate change. But he understands, we will respond on Iran and North Korea, nuclear programs that present serious threats to American security and the security of the world. We're going to be working closely with our allies to address the threats posed by both of these countries, through diplomacy as well as stern deterrence. Joe Biden: (59:39) And American leadership means ending the forever war in Afghanistan. We have, without hyperbole the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. I'm the first president in 40 years who knows what it means to have a son serving... Joe Biden: (01:00:03) I'm the first president in 40 years that knows what it means to have a son serving in a war zone. Today, we have service members serving in the same war zone as their parents did. We have service members in Afghanistan who were not yet born on 9/11. The war in Afghanistan, as we remember the debates here, were never meant to be multi-generational undertakings of nation building. Joe Biden: (01:00:25) We went to Afghanistan to get terrorists, the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. And we said we would follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell to do it. If you'd been in the upper Kunar Valley, you've kind of seen the gates of hell. And we delivered justice to bin Laden. We degraded the terrorist threat of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. And after 20 years of value, valor and sacrifice, it's time to bring those troops home. Joe Biden: (01:00:56) Look, even as we do, we'll maintain over the rise in capacity to suppress future threats to the Homeland. And make no mistake. In 20 years, terrorism has metastasized. The threat is way beyond Afghanistan. Those of you in the intelligence committees, the foreign relations committee, defense committees, you know well, we have to remain vigilant against the threats to the United States wherever they come from. Al Qaeda and ISIS are in Yemen, Syria, Somalia, other places in Africa, in the Middle East and beyond. And we won't ignore what our intelligence agencies have determined to be the most lethal terrorist threat to the Homeland today. White supremacy is terrorism. We're not going to ignore that either. Joe Biden: (01:01:53) My fellow Americans, look, we have to come together to heal the soul of this nation. It was nearly a year ago before her father's funeral when I spoke with Gianna Floyd, George Floyd's young daughter. She's a little tike, so I was kneeling down to talk to her so I could look her in the eye. She looked at me, she said, "My daddy changed the world." Well, after the conviction of George Floyd's murderer, we can see how right she was if we have the courage to act as a Congress. We've all seen the name and justice on the neck of black Americans. Joe Biden: (01:02:38) Now's our opportunity to make some real progress. The vast majority of men and women wearing a uniform and a badge serve our communities and they serve them honorably. I know them. I know they want to help meet this moment as well. My fellow Americans, we have to come together to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve, to root out systemic racism in our criminal justice system, and enact police reform in George Floyd's name that passed the house already. I know Republicans have their own ideas and are engaged in very productive discussions with Democrats in the Senate. We need to work together to find a consensus, but let's get it done next month by the first anniversary of George Floyd's death. Joe Biden: (01:03:44) The country supports this reform and Congress should act. We have a giant opportunity to bend the arc of the moral universe towards justice, real justice. And with the plans outlined tonight, we have a real chance to root out systemic racism that plagues America and American lives in other ways, the chance to deliver real equity. Good jobs, good schools, affordable housing, clean air, clean water, being able to generate wealth and pass it down to generations because you have access to purchase a house. Real opportunities in the lives of more Americans, Black, White, Latino, Asian Americans, Native Americans. Joe Biden: (01:04:38) Look, I also want to thank the United States Senate for voting 94 to one to pass COVID-19 hate crimes act to protect Asian-American and Pacific Islanders. You acted decisively. You could see on television the viciousness of the hate crimes we've seen over the past year and for too long. I urge the House to do the same and send that legislation to my desk, which I will gladly, anxiously sign. Joe Biden: (01:05:16) I also hope Congress will get to my desk the equality act to protect LGBTQ Americans. To all transgender Americans watching at home, especially young people, you're so great. I want you to know your president has your back. Another thing. Let's authorize the Violence Against Women Act, which has been law for 27 years. 27 years ago, I wrote it. It'll close the act that has to be authorized now will close the boyfriend loophole to keep guns out of the hands of abusers. The court order said this is an abuser. You can't own a gun. It's to close that loophole that existed. It's estimated that 50 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner every month in America. 50 a month. Let's pass it and save some lives. I need not tell anyone this, but gun violence has become an epidemic in America. A flag at the White House was still flying at half mast for the eight victims of the mass shooting in Georgia. When 10 more lives were taken in a mass shooting in Colorado. And in the weekend between those two events, 250 other Americans were shot dead in the streets of America. 250 shot dead. I know how hard it is to make progress on this issue. In the nineties, we passed universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines that hold a hundred rounds that can be fired off in seconds. We beat the NRA. Mass shootings and gun violence declined. Check out the report over 10 years. But in the early 2000s, the law expired and we've seen daily bloodshed since. I'm not saying if the law continued, we wouldn't see bloodshed. Joe Biden: (01:07:36) More than two weeks ago in the Rose Garden, surrounded by some of the bravest people I know, the survivors and families who lost loved ones to gun violence, I laid out several of the Department of Justice actions that are being taken to impact in this epidemic. One of them is banning so-called ghost guns. These are homemade guns built from a kit that includes directions how to finish the firearm. The parts have no serial numbers. So they show up at crime scenes and they can't be traced. The buyers of these ghost gun kits aren't required to pass any background check. Anyone from a criminal or terrorist could buy this kit, and within 30 minutes have a weapon that's lethal. But no more. I'll do everything in my power to protect the American people from this epidemic of gun violence, but it's time for Congress to act as well. Joe Biden: (01:08:37) I don't want to become confrontational, but we need more Senate Republicans to join the overall majority of Democrat colleagues, close the loopholes required in background check purchases of guns. We need a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Don't tell me it can't be done. We did it before, and it worked. Talk to most responsible gun owners and hunters. They'll tell you there's no possible justification for having a hundred rounds in a weapon. What do you think, deer are wearing Kevlar vests? I'll tell you that there's too many people a day were able to buy a gun but shouldn't be able to buy a gun. These kinds of reasonable reforms have overwhelming support from the American people including many gun owners. The country supports reform and Congress should act. This shouldn't be a red or blue issue, and no amendment to the Constitution is absolute. You can't yell fire in a crowded theater. Joe Biden: (01:09:56) From the very beginning, there were certain guns, weapons, that could not be owned by Americans. Certain people could not own those weapons ever. We're not changing the Constitution. We're being reasonable. I think this is not a Democrat or Republican issue. I think it's an America issue. Joe Biden: (01:10:21) And here's what else we can do. Immigration has always been essential to America. Let's end our exhausting war over immigration. For more than 30 years, politicians have talked about immigration reform and we've done nothing about it. It's time to fix it. On day one of my presidency, I kept my commitments in a comprehensive immigration bill to the United States Congress. If you believe we need to secure the border, pass it because it has a lot of money for high-tech border security. If you believe in a pathway to citizenship, pass it. Over 11 million undocumented folks, the vast majority here, overstaying visas. Pass it. If you actually want to solve a problem, I've sent a bill to you. Take a close look at it. Joe Biden: (01:11:11) We also have to get at the root problem of why people are fleeing, particularly to our Southern border from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The violence, the corruption, the gangs, the political instability, hunger, hurricanes, earthquakes, natural disasters. When I was vice-president, president asked me to focus on providing help needed to address the root causes of migration. And it helped keep people in their own countries instead of being forced to leave. The plan was working, but the last administration decided it was not worth it. I'm restoring the program and asked Vice President Harris to lead our diplomatic effort to take care of this. I have absolute confidence she'll get the job done. Joe Biden: (01:11:57) Now look, if you don't like my plan, let's at least pass what we all agree on. Congress needs to pass legislation this year to finally secure protection for dreamers. The young people that only know America as their own. And permanent protection for immigrants who are here on temporary protective status who came from countries that are set by man-made and natural made violence and disaster. As well as a pathway to citizenship for farm workers who put food on our tables. Joe Biden: (01:12:45) Look, immigrants have done so much for America during this pandemic and throughout our history. Our country supports immigration reform. We should act. Let's argue over it. Let's debate it, but let's act. And if we truly want to restore the soul of America, we need to protect the sacred right to vote. More people voted in the last presidential election than any time in American history in the middle of the worst pandemic ever. It should be celebrated. Instead it's being attacked. Congress should pass HR 1 and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and send it to my desk right away. The country supports it, and Congress should act now. Joe Biden: (01:13:43) Look, in conclusion, as we gather here tonight, the image of a violent mob assaulting this Capitol, desecrating our democracy remain vivid in all our minds. Lives were put at risk. Many of your lives. Lives were lost. Extraordinary courage is summoned. The insurrection was an existential crisis, a test on whether our democracy could survive and it did. But the struggle is far from over. The question of whether a democracy will long endure is both ancient and urgent. As old as our Republic. Still vital today. Can our democracy deliver on its promise that all of us created equal in image of God had a chance to lead lives of dignity, respect, and possibility? Joe Biden: (01:14:35) Can our democracy deliver to the most pressing needs of our people? Can our democracy overcome the lies, anger, hate and fears that have pulled us apart? America's adversaries, the autocrats of the world, are betting we can't. And I promise you they're betting we can't. They believe we're too full of anger and division and rage. They look at the images of the mob that assault at the Capitol as proof that sun is setting on an American democracy, but they're wrong. You know it. I know it. But we have to prove them wrong. We have to prove democracy still works, that our government still works and we can deliver for our people. Joe Biden: (01:15:15) In our first 100 days together, we've acted to restore people's faith in democracy to deliver. We're vaccinating the nation. We're creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. We're delivering real results to people. They can see it, feel it in their own lives, opening doors of opportunity, guaranteeing some more fairness and justice. That's the essence of America. That's democracy in action. Our Constitution opens with the words as trade as it sounds, "We, the people." It's time to remember that we, the people are the government. You and I. Not some force in a distant Capitol, not some powerful force that we have no control over. It's us. It's we, the people. Joe Biden: (01:16:01) In another era when our democracy was tested, Franklin Roosevelt reminded us in America, we do our part. We all do our part. That's all I'm asking, that we do our part, all of us. If we do that, we will meet the center challenge of the age by proving that democracy is durable and strong. Autocrats will not win the future. We will. America will, and the future belongs to America. Joe Biden: (01:16:34) As I stand here tonight before you in a new and vital hour of life and democracy of our nation, I can say with absolute confidence I have never been more confident or optimistic about America. Not because I'm president, because what's happening with the American people. We've stared into the abyss of insurrection and autocracy, pandemic and pain. And we, the people did not flinch. At the very moment our adversaries were certain we'd pull apart and fail, we came together, we united. With light and hope, we summoned the new strength, new resolve to position us to win the competition of 21st century on our way to a union more perfect, more prosperous and more just as one people, one nation and one America. Joe Biden: (01:17:32) Folks, as I told every world leader I've ever met with over the years, it's never, ever, ever been a good bet to bet against America. And it still isn't. We're the United States of America. There is not a single thing, nothing beyond our capacity. We can do whatever we set our minds to if we do it together. So let's begin to get together. God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Thank you for your patience. Joe Biden: (01:18:01) Thank you. Thank you.