President Joe Biden delivered a plea to Republicans on Tuesday for unity in his second State of the Union address, but vowed not to back off his economic agenda and sparred with Republicans as he began to frame his argument for an expected re-election bid by portraying Republican policy proposals as out of step with most Americans even as he offered to work across the aisle. There were no major new initiatives in Mr. Biden’s address, a nod to the reality of divided government, with Republicans now controlling the House which was a striking departure from the president’s previous appearances before a Democratic-controlled Congress, when he called for trillions of dollars in new spending to significantly reshape government programs on health care, child care, climate change, taxes, infrastructure and more. His second State of the Union address was punctuated by outbursts, jeers and laughter, but Mr. Biden turned the tables on his Republican opponents and argued in real time with the insurgents as the event appeared to be the start of his re-election campaign. The theatrics began midway through Mr. Biden’s speech, as he scolded Republicans about their past interest in cutting the nation’s biggest entitlement programs, Medicare and social security, in a bid to set the stakes for the upcoming debt limit battle. As the shouting escalated from the opposition, Mr. Biden began battling the GOP in real time — adding to his own prepared remarks to challenge Republicans who were shouting at him from the chamber floor.
Remarks by President Biden in State of the Union Address, as delivered.
FACT SHEET: White House Highlights Infrastructure Progress in Every Corner of the Country, Updates State-by-State Fact Sheets.
The Senate is out today, but Democrats and Republicans are plotting out their year in meetings and sessions at the Library of Congress. The Democratic Senators Issues Conference will be led by Democratic Policy and Communications Committee Chair Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) and is expected to highlight the 2023 policy priorities that Democrats want to work on. The Senate will be in session again starting at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow.
The House convened at 10 A.M. for morning hour and noon for legislative business and will consider H.R. 185 – To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for foreign travelers.
