Biden's social plans meet Republican rejection

The extreme defense that the president of the United States, Joe Biden, has made of the role of the federal government and the expansion of the social protection network raises blisters in the Republican opposition.

The train crash crystallized this Wednesday in the first speech that the Democrat made before both Houses of Congress, on the eve of completing his first 100 days in office.

Biden called for more artillery to shore up the recovery and bolster the Welfare State, and the Conservatives vowed to battle "waste."

With former President Donald Trump in Florida, the political discussion has dropped by decibels in the United States, but the differences remain.

Biden asked Republicans for support for his ambitious infrastructure and family aid plans, which if successful would add up to about $ 4 trillion and, in short, bury the neoliberal creed that has reigned since the 1980s.

"The United States is advancing, we cannot stop now," he stressed, also showing his chest for the results obtained so far with his stimulus program underway, the 1.3 million jobs created or the reduction of child poverty.

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• Two women guard Joe Biden's back

Flanked for the first time by two women - the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and the Vice President of the country, Kamala Harris -, the Democrat made a statement that he hardly imagined during the 36 years he served as a senator in that same place and where he was forged a reputation as a centrist Democrat. “My countrymen, the trickle economy never worked. This is the time to make it grow from below ”, he stressed, in a speech lasting just over an hour, in which he also made a call to strengthen unionism and raise taxes on the richest.

Trump's last speech to Congress, in February 2020, exhibited the climate of hostility that prevails in American politics. It took place just one day before the verdict - absolute - of the first

was voted

and, as soon as it began, the Republican denied the greeting to Pelosi. He then spoke for more than an hour, defending his management and lashing out at immigration. When finished, Pelosi got up and tore the pages of Trump's speech with obvious contempt.

This time there was no drama, no one tore their clothes or papers, but the gap has not been closed. Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who is on the right wing of the party and was recorded napping during the evening, wrote on his Twitter account about Biden: "He is being deliberately boring, but what he is saying is radical." Democratic plans also unsettle moderates, such as Republican Lisa Murkowski, who has had no trouble in the past standing up to Trump and breaking ranks with the party. On Wednesday night, the Alaska senator pointed out that the only way to achieve those social goals is to open up the tax front "and that will make a bipartisan agreement very difficult."

The Republican in charge of replying to the president, Senator Tim Scott, representative for the State of South Carolina, warned against "socialist dreams" and made his own defense of the neoliberal doctrine, the one that, in the

language

, sees to the Government as a hindrance, not as a solution. “More taxes, more spending. Washington will be more in your life. From cradle to college. The beauty of the American dream is that families must define that dream for themselves. We should be expanding opportunities for all of them, not throwing money to solve problems ”, he elaborated.

The first stimulus plan of the Biden era, which amounted to 1.9 trillion dollars (1.6 trillion euros), did not win the support of the opposition because it was considered excessive given the economic recovery that the country was beginning to experience. . His two new programs are also now facing difficulties in Congress. It is not surprising that Biden has decided to spend the 100th day of his presidency, this Thursday, precisely in Georgia, the Republican fiefdom that was key in his electoral victory and in that meager control that Democrats enjoy in the Senate and that has made possible their first steps. There he planned to visit former President Jimmy Carter, 96, and his wife, Rosalynn, and then give one of those car rallies - with fans inside their cars - that have become fashionable due to the pandemic.