Biden lays out plan for America 'on the move again' in address to Congress

Lawmakers are expecting different things as they tune in to Biden's joint address Wednesday night.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told ABC News on Wednesday that she is "delighted" that big progressive pushes like child care made it into the White House's proposal, calling it a "win." But aides to moderate Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told ABC News Wednesday night that the price tag makes him "uncomfortable."

Republicans, however, want to hear the president commit to working across the aisle on the next piece of legislation. As Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., puts the final touches on his speech responding to Biden's address, he said he's hoping to address where Democrats and Republicans can find common ground.

"My goal is to just to be myself and share with the country what I think the priorities are and how we can do those priorities together, as opposed to not," Scott told ABC News.

-ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott

Biden's joint address, which under normal circumstances would be a large and celebratory occasion in Washington, has been reshaped by both COVID-19 and lingering security concerns following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

It will also be the first time that many House lawmakers will return to the chamber gallery, where some of them sheltered in place in January when pro-Trump rioters swarmed the Capitol.

"I'm sure I will have some strong emotions because that was such a dramatic moment for all of us," Rep. Ann Kuster, D-N.H., told ABC News. "Most of us … thought we were going to die that day in the chamber."

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., tapped to deliver the GOP response to Biden's address, is set to tout the success of the economy before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to excerpts released Wednesday night.

Scott will say that the best future from America will not come from "socialist dreams," but from the American people.

"Just before COVID, we had the most inclusive economy in my lifetime," Scott said in the excerpt. "The lowest unemployment ever recorded for African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. The lowest for women in nearly 70 years. Wages were growing faster for the bottom 25% than the top 25%. That happened because Republicans focused on expanding opportunity for all Americans. We passed Opportunity Zones, criminal justice reform, and permanent funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the first time ever. We fought the drug epidemic, rebuilt our military, and cut taxes for working families and single moms like mine."

ABC News Political Director Rick Klein said that the president's address is a "critical moment" for Biden and an opportunity for him to talk directly to the American people about what he thinks the government could be doing on ABC News Live's "The Breakdown" Wednesday.

"I'm told he's gonna have a lot of personal language in there, a direct appeal to people about the things that government could be doing to help them live their lives, to end the pandemic, but also help their families--help them get jobs, help them take care of their loved ones," Klein said.