The White House is postponing plans for President Biden to address a joint session of Congress to unveil the second phase of a coronavirus recovery plan as it continues to work on a massive relief bill.
Last month, Biden said he would appear before Congress in February to set out his “Build Back Better” recovery plan.
But on Tuesday, when asked about the timing, his press secretary Jen Psaki said there had never been a plan for him to address a joint session this month.
“We don’t know where the Feb. 23 date came from. It’s a great mystery,” she said during the regular daily briefing.
“I’ve not Nancy Drewed that one out today, but it was never planned to be in February, and we don’t have a date for a joint session at this point,” Psaki said, comparing herself to the popular character in a series of children’s books who solves mysteries.
However, the president himself used a prime-time address last month to suggest otherwise.
“Next month, in my first appearance before a joint session of Congress, I will lay out my ‘Build Back Better’ recovery plan,” he said. “It will make historic investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, innovation, and research and development in clean energy.”
New presidents generally outline their plans to a joint session early in their first year. In later years, it is known as a State of the Union address.
Psaki was later challenged on her response, and she said she was commenting on reports that the address was to take place on Feb. 23.
“Feb. 23 was just an inaccurate date, no one’s fault, it just was, and it created some confusion,” she said. “So, I was just trying to clarify it.”
“Obviously, the president looks forward to speaking to a joint session. We just don’t have a date yet for when that will be, and obviously, it will look different because of COVID and because we want to be safe and project that safety,” the spokeswoman added.
She said she had no explanation for the apparent delay.
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the address would have to wait for the COVID-19 legislation to pass.
“We won’t be doing any of that until we pass our COVID bill. That’s the first order of business,” the California Democrat told reporters at a news conference.
