February 1981 Ronald Reagan speech to a joint session of Congress

Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, addressed a joint session of the United States Congress on Wednesday, February 18, 1981. It was his first public address before a joint session. Similar to a State of the Union Address, it was delivered before the 97th United States Congress in the Chamber of the United States House of Representatives in the United States Capitol.^[1] Presiding over this joint session was the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Tip O'Neill, accompanied by George H. W. Bush, the vice president in his capacity as the president of the Senate.

February 1981 Ronald Reagan speech to a joint session of Congress

Full video of the speech as published by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Date	February 18, 1981 (1981-02-18)
Time	9:00 p.m. EST
Duration	33 minutes
Venue	House Chamber, United States Capitol
Location	Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°53′23″N 77°00′32″W
Type	Unofficial State of the Union Address
Participants	Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush Tip O'Neill
Previous	1981 State of the Union Address
Next	1982 State of the Union Address

The speech was referred to as the "Speech on the Program for Economic Recovery."^[2] During his speech, President Reagan outlined his plan for economic recovery, calling for large cuts to taxes and federal spending.^[1] Some observers described it at the time as the most comprehensive economic proposal since President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his New Deal program in March 1933.^[3] When President Reagan handed House Speaker Tip O’Neill the printed copy, O’Neill reportedly said, "Mr. President, good luck."^[3]

Secretary of Education Terrel Bell was the designated survivor and did not attend the address in order to maintain a continuity of government.^[4]

No response to this address was given by the Democratic Party.

See also

• First 100 days of Ronald Reagan's presidency
• List of joint sessions of the United States Congress
• Speeches and debates of Ronald Reagan

References

1. "Presidential Economic Address". C-SPAN. February 18, 1981. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
2. "Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the Program for Economic Recovery". The American Presidency Project. February 18, 1981. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
3. Glass, Andrew (February 18, 2018). "Reagan outlines plan for economic recovery, Feb. 18, 1981". Politico. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
4. Hershey, Robert D. Jr. (January 27, 1988). "State of Union: Bewitched by Pageant". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2013.

External links

• Ronald Reagan Presidential Economic Address (video) on C-SPAN