Republican Response To Joe Biden's Speech: What To Know About Tim Scott And His Politics

President Joe Biden on Wednesday will make his first annual speech to Congress, while Republicans will provide a rebuttal delivered by Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. The GOP's only Black senator is expected to counteract Biden’s comments that tout the early successes of his administration.

Scott, 55, may have a difficult task, as Biden has already achieved a number of his policy goals, including COVID-19 relief checks, double his original plan of 100 million vaccinations in 100 days and a rebounding economy.

Scott's speech will air on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, among other networks. It can also be streamed online through platforms like C-SPAN. Scott's address will likely begin after 10:00 p.m. ET, while Biden’s speech will begin around 9:00 p.m. and is expected to last about an hour.

Biden will likely address COVID-19 vaccine efforts, the economy and foreign policy. He’ll also set out a roadmap for his future plans like his $2 trillion infrastructure bill and the proposed American Families Plan.

Scott, meanwhile, has said he doesn’t intend to directly contradict Biden’s messaging.

“You do your homework and you do your best to understand and appreciate the issues as they are -- and anticipate what [Biden] is going to say and be in a position to share with the nation a different way, at least, I think is a better way," Scott told ABC News. "I try to keep it simple."

Scott's address comes amid months of protests over racial inequality, a particular weakness for Republicans due to their pro-gun policies, “Blue Lives Matter” chants and former President Donald Trump's outreach to the Proud Boys and other white nationalists.

Scott is currently part of talks with Democrats like Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., to enact police reform on the national level.

"Tim and I disagree on a whole bunch. Obviously, he's a Republican. I'm a Democrat, but he's a friend. ... He's a good-faith actor, and he's also a Black man in America and knows a lot of these issues, personally,” Booker said Tuesday. “So, if anybody can get it done on his side, he's the right person to be negotiating."

The response can also be a launching pad for larger things. The rebuttal speech often heralds presidential ambitions, and Scott has already paid a visit to Iowa and redecorated his Senate website with patriotic imagery.

In 2013, Scott was appointed to the Senate by then-Gov. Nikki Haley and retained the seat in a 2014 special election. Scott was elected to a full term in 2016.

He has strong conservative credentials. In 2017, Scott was one of 22 senators to controversially petition Trump to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement. He also has a 0% score from NARAL Pro-Choice America and a 93% score from the National Rifle Association.