President Joe Biden declared that “America is rising anew” as he called for an expansion of federal programs to drive the economy past the coronavirus pandemic and broadly extend the social safety net on a scale not seen in decades.

Biden’s nationally televised address to Congress, his first, raised the stakes for his ability to sell his plans to voters of both parties, even if Republican lawmakers prove resistant. The Democratic president is following Wednesday night’s speech by pushing his plans in person, beginning in Georgia on Thursday and then on to Pennsylvania and Virginia in the days ahead. 

Speaking in highly personal terms while demanding massive structural changes, the president marked his first 100 days in office by proposing a $1.8 trillion investment in children, families and education to help rebuild an economy devastated by the virus and compete with rising global competitors.

We dive into the American Families Plan - what’s in it, how it will be funded and its political viability. 

With files from the Associated Press

Guests:

Anita Kumar, White House correspondent and associate editor for POLITICO; she tweets @anitakumar01

Elizabeth Spalding, senior fellow at the Pepperdine school of public policy 

Renée Van Vechten, professor of political science at University of Redlands; she tweets @profrvv