Politics

President Joe Biden pledged to take action in his first 100 days in office with his administration focusing on COVID-19, the economy, the environment, immigration and racial equality.

Sen. Tim Scott's Republican Response To Biden's Address, Annotated

By NPR Staff

Published April 29, 2021 at 8:54 AM EDT

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., pictured at the Republican National Convention on Aug. 24, 2020, gave the Republican response to President Biden's address to Congress on Wednesday.

Updated April 28, 2021 at 11:47 PM ET

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott delivered the official Republican response to President Biden's address to Congress.

Scott, the lone Black GOP senator, spoke after Biden concluded his remarks Wednesday night.

When Scott was announced for the role, he said in a statement that he would be "sharing Republicans' optimistic vision for expanding opportunity and empowering working families." In his address, he sought to offer an alternative to the Biden agenda while defending the GOP, and the nation at large, against charges of racism.

"America is not a racist country," Scott said. "It's wrong to try to use our painful past to try to dishonestly shut down debates in the present."

Watch Scott's address here. Below that, you can read his remarks in full with fact checks and analysis from NPR reporters.