April 28, 2021

Duckworth Statement on President Biden’s First Address to Congress

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after President Biden’s first address to a Joint Session of Congress:

“In just 100 days in office, President Biden is already delivering for the American people. More than 215 million vaccines have been administered, our economy is moving again, kids are going back to school and we’ve sent money to millions of working Americans who desperately need it. Tonight’s address was an important reminder of just how much Democrats and the Biden Administration have accomplished in the last 100 days, but it was also a powerful call to action for the work we still have to do to help families across this nation.

“I agree with President Biden that now is the time to make historic investments in working families with his American Families Plan, which would strengthen our child care system, expand paid family leave, reduce healthcare costs and improve education. Because when working families have the tools and resources they need to succeed, our nation thrives and every American—regardless of the size of their bank account or where they live—benefits.

“I was pleased that the President called for comprehensive improvements to our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Rebuilding our water infrastructure must be at the heart of those efforts because we will have missed a huge opportunity to improve American lives if we only fix our roads, but fail to repair and upgrade the pipes beneath them. I also believe the President’s call to action on nationwide police reform is one we must heed. We cannot let ourselves accept that, in 2021, in the United States of America, Black men and women are still publicly executed without judge or jury in too many tragic and preventable police-involved deaths. We can and must do more to provide justice and ensure accountability within our law enforcement agencies.

“There can be no question that we’ve faced so many historic challenges over the last year—a police violence crisis, deadly spikes in anti-Asian hate crimes, a deadly pandemic and a deeply divided country—but with Joe Biden helping restore the soul of our nation there are so many reasons to be hopeful for the future, and I am confident our brightest days are ahead.”

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