US President Joe Biden has vowed to have enough vaccine doses for the entire American population within months
US President Joe Biden has vowed to have enough vaccine doses for the entire American population within months AFP / MANDEL NGAN

President Joe Biden will address the nation after 8:00 p.m. ET, touting his recently-signed COVID-19 stimulus bill and explaining what comes next in his administration's fight against the pandemic. The signing of the bill kicks off a speaking tour for the president and a victory lap for Congressional Democrats, who are looking to celebrate their first major legislation under unified government.

The speech can be viewed live through PBS's stream below. Most television news networks will also be providing special coverage, including ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. CSPAN will be streaming the speech live.

Click here to read the key points of President Biden's first address to the nation

Biden wasn't expected to sign the bill until Friday, but an expedited vote from the House allowed it to cross his desk early. Friday would have been the deadline to sign it into law before federal benefits expire over the weekend.

The Biden administration has struggled to pull the U.S. out of its pandemic slump, inheriting a divided government and an ailing vaccination program from Donald Trump.

Some progress has been made since then, with financial markets reaching record highs and vaccination rates exceeding Biden's campaign promise of 100 million doses in the first 100 days.

Still, work remains to be done. Unemployment hasn't seen the same lightning-fast resurgence as Wall Street, making for an uneven recovery. COVID-19 testing has flagged as vaccination efforts take up resources, and experts warn the economic progress could be undone if vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variants infiltrate the U.S.

Biden's next move is expected to be a sweeping infrastructure bill, bolstering job numbers at the same time it gives much-needed updates to roads, bridges and utilities. Experts estimate the proposal could dwarf the stimulus package, possibly coming in at almost $4 trillion.

Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, are looking to pass immigration reform, firearm background checks and the stalled Violence Against Women act. While smaller in scope, the proposals could face long odds in a split Senate.

Coronavirus