Sen. Joni Ernst to lead GOP 'prebuttal' to Biden's joint address to Congress
What can US expect to hear from Biden at joint session of Congress address?
Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson with insight on 'Fox & Friends First.'
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Joni Ernst, the vice chair of the Senate GOP conference, will lead a "prebuttal" Wednesday afternoon to President Biden's joint address to Congress.
Ernst, R-Iowa, and at least five other Republicans will deliver a series of speeches on the Senate floor to protest how Biden has handled his first 100 days and to accuse the Democrat of ignoring his inauguration promise of listening to opposing views and seeking to bring the country together.
"Frankly, the president only seems to be listening to the far-left progressives within the Democratic Party who live on their own liberal fantasy island," Ernst says in her prebuttal speech in prepared remarks shared exclusively with Fox News.
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Ernst accuses Biden of giving into a "radical agenda" and attempting to silence half the country.
The Iowa senator charges that Biden immediately broke his pledge for "unity, not division" when on Day 1 of his presidency he signed a crush of executive orders to undo former President Trump's policies, including stopping the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline and reversing Trump's immigration policies.
Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, speaks during a news conference following a weekly meeting with the Senate Republican caucus at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. She'll lead a GOP "pre-buttal" to President Biden's joint address to Congress on April 28, 2021. Photographer: Greg Nash/The Hill/Bloomberg via Getty Images
"That very same day, as soon as he reached the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, President Biden seemed to forget his own words as he began signing a record number of executive orders," Ernst says in her prepared remarks.
"With the stroke of a pen, he unilaterally created a new migrant crisis by reversing the previous administration’s successful policies and ceasing construction of the wall," Ernst continues.
HOW TO WATCH BIDEN'S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS ON FOX NEWS
Biden is slated to deliver his first joint address to Congress Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET to a partially empty House chamber due to coronavirus protocols and social distance guidelines. Biden's biggest legislative achievement so far is passing $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief legislation, which no Republicans supported.
He's now aiming to pass a two-part spending bill. The previously revealed $2.3 trillion first package is for rebuilding roads and bridges, as well as water systems, green energy, hospitals and elder care.
On Wednesday night, Biden will outline another $1 trillion in spending for education, childcare and paid family leave support services plus $800 billion more in tax cuts. Biden proposes paying for the massive spending plan through tax hikes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans.
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Sen. Tim Scott has the official role of the GOP response to Biden's speech Wednesday night, but the South Carolina Republican will be getting lots of support from his friends in the Senate in the lead-up to his speech.
