White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Monday morning that President Joe Biden will deliver his first primetime national address Thursday evening to commemorate one year of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Psaki’s announcement comes as Congress is preparing to send the American Rescue Plan to Biden’s desk to be signed into law. The House is expected to vote for final passage of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package as soon as Tuesday. (RELATED: Biden Establishes White House Gender Policy Council And Orders Title IX Review For How Schools Handle Sexual Assault)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 06: President Joe Biden speaks from the State Dining Room with Vice President Joe Biden behind him following the passage of the American Rescue Plan in the U.S. Senate at the White House on March 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Senate passed the latest COVID-19 relief bill by 50 to 49 on a party-line vote, after an all-night session. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
“The president will deliver his first primetime address to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 shutdown on Thursday,” Psaki told reporters gathered at Monday’s White House press briefing. “He will discuss the many sacrifices the American people have made over the last year and the grave loss communities and families across the country have suffered.”
She added that Biden “will look forward to highlighting the role of Americans will play in beating the virus and moving the country toward getting back to normal.”
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The Biden administration has weathered transparency questions in recent days. The president has yet to schedule a date with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to deliver his first-year joint session address to Congress and has waited longer than any president in nearly a century to hold his first solo press conference.
Psaki reiterated at Monday’s press briefing that Biden will host his first press conference by the end of March.