Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi make history in Joe Biden's first address to Congress

After 100 days in office, Joe Biden has appeared before the US Congress as President. During the speech, a historic event took place: for the first time two women have endorsed the US president. Both women politicians had previously made history: Nancy Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007, while Kamala Harris is the country's first female Vice President. In addition, Harris and Pelosi are respectively second and third in the presidential line of succession.

"Madam President, Madam Vice-President. No president has ever said these words from this podium before. No president has ever said these words before. It's about time", Biden declared at the start of the speech. Hours earlier, Pelosi also celebrated the historic milestone she was about to be part of. "It's very exciting. It's wonderful to make history", the House Speaker said during an interview on MSNBC. Like Biden, Pelosi also insisted that it was "about time" that two women were leading American politics.

The speech also left another image for history, the small number of politicians during the speech due to health regulations because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of 535 legislators there were only 200, and most of the government cabinet was not present. On the other hand, an extraordinary number of security forces were concentrated outside the Capitol in response to the possibility of further disturbances, such as the assault on 6 January.

"After only 100 days, I can report to the nation: America is on the move again. Turning danger into possibility. Crisis into opportunity. Rollback into strength", Biden said at the start of his speech. As expected, the president began the speech by talking about the pandemic. Biden reported the delivery of more than 200 million doses of vaccine since he arrived at the White House on 20 January. "Today, 90 per cent of Americans live within five miles of a vaccination site", he said. Nevertheless, he urged citizens to continue to get vaccinated.

Later, Biden mentioned the other major challenge he faces: the economic crisis, the worst since the Great Depression. To alleviate its effects, he announced a 1.9 trillion dollar bailout plan, which went ahead thanks to bipartisan support. "One of the most important bailouts in American history", Biden said. He also thanked Democratic politicians and the Republican and independent opposition for supporting the plan. On the economic front, he also alluded to the "fair share" for the wealthiest people. "It's time for corporations and the wealthiest one percent of Americans to start paying their fair share of taxes", the president said.

Biden showed his more personal side by remembering his son Beau Biden, who died of cancer. The president wants to raise more funds to make progress against this disease and others such as Alzheimer's and diabetes. "Many of us have sons, daughters or relatives who died of cancer. I can think of no more worthwhile investment", the president told Congress.

Another major problem in the country is racism and police brutality. Shortly after the verdict of Derek Chauvin, the officer guilty of killing George Floyd, Biden urged Congress to take action on police reform. The president pointed to the need to "rebuild trust between law enforcement and the people they serve". He also called on Republican politicians to reach a consensus on reform. The bill would "save lives by banning chokeholds" and would mandate that "lethal force be used only as a last resort". On the occasion of frequent racist attacks, Biden called white supremacism "terrorism".

On foreign policy, the US president mentioned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. "I made it clear to President Putin that while we are not seeking an escalation of tensions, his actions have consequences", Biden declared. The Democrat was referring to the Navalny case and the military mobilisation of troops near the Ukrainian border. "No president can remain silent in the face of human rights violations", Biden said, referring also to North Korea and Afghanistan.

On the international front, he also appealed to citizens in the context of the trade war with China. Biden called on Americans to "buy American". The Democratic administration wants to focus on infrastructure investment, a plan they hope to win Republican support for. "There is no reason why wind turbine blades can't be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing", he said.

The first reference to Latin America came when dealing with migration policy. Biden spoke of the causes and origins of migration, such as violence, corruption, instability and hunger. The president asked Congress to resolve the situation of almost 11 million dreamers. However, he did not mention Mexico, Venezuela or Cuba.

In closing, Biden sent a message of hope, optimism and patriotic pride. "We are America. There is nothing that is beyond our capacity. There is nothing we can't do if we do it together", the president said.