Biden will propose universal pre-K, free community college, paid family leave in address to Congress

President Biden's State of the Union–like address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night will have a different look: Only about 200 members of Congress are invited, they will wear masks and sit spaced apart, and Biden will be the first president to speak in front of a female vice president and female House speaker. He will update the nation on the COVID-19 fight, tout his $1.9 trillion stimulus package and other highlights of his first 100 days in office, champion his $2.3 trillion infrastructure and jobs proposal, and introduce a $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, details of which were released by the White House early Wednesday.

The American Families Plan includes about $1 trillion in spending on education and social programs plus $800 million in tax credits for the lower- and middle class, paid for by raising income and capital gains taxes on America's wealthiest households and boosting IRS enforcement against tax evasion.

The plan proposes expanding new $250-$300 monthly child tax credits through 2025; spending $200 million to offer free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, $225 billion on subsidized childcare and paying childcare workers at least $15 an hour, and another $225 billion to create a national paid family and medical leave plan; making two-year community college free for an estimated 5.5 million students and increasing Pell Grants and subsidies for historically Black and tribal colleges; and steering $200 billion to lowering ObamaCare premiums and $45 billion to child and school nutrition programs.

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"Most of these new spending proposals are popular," Politico reports. "Taxing the rich to pay for them is also popular," but "making big changes to health care" is politically dicey and "fighting the drug lobby and the insurance industry isn't easy," which may explain Biden doesn't propose lowering the Medicare age to 60 or allowing the government to negotiate drug prices, two progressive priorities. Republicans are expected to oppose Biden's families plan.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.