What Biden Will Likely Cover In His State Of The Union Address
As President Joe Biden prepares to give his first official State of the Union address at 9 p.m. EST on March 1, 2022, the world is in turmoil after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on February 3 (via CNN). Per ABC News, reports say he is advancing on the capital city of Kyiv as of this writing.
It's a perilous time for the country and the world, something Biden is keenly aware of as he's spent time informing the American people of what's ahead for Russia and what our allies plan to do about Putin's ill-advised invasion of a sovereign democratic country.
Of course, there are domestic problems at home. From the economy and inflation to rising gas prices and the fear that a new variant may cause COVID-19 cases to rise again, Biden will have plenty of things to tell and explain to the nation as he addresses a joint session of Congress attended by senators, House members, Supreme Court justices, and cabinet members. While Biden addressed a joint session of Congress on April 28, 2021, it was not an official State of the Union as it was his first year in office. The speech tonight is a true State of the Union and is set to cover a wide variety of topics during this landmark time in world history.
Biden's first State of the Union address had to be revised
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, President Joe Biden had planned to lead the speech with his domestic agenda and what he still hopes can pass through Congress in 2022. According to The Washington Post, Biden had hoped to use the State of the Union as a way to reset his faltering administration that failed to get the Build Back Better social spending plan through Congress last year due to Senator Joe Manchin refusing to vote for it. Then, Putin did what the world warned him against and the White House had to scramble to revise the speech.
The crisis in Ukraine will be highlighted as part of the president's core agenda, which is defending democracies and proving to the world that they still work and remain a better alternative than autocracies. White House press secretary Jen Psaki gave a preview of the speech on Monday, saying that Biden will talk about "the importance of the United States as a leader in the world" at this pivotal point in history while emphasizing "global norms."
Biden will also highlight his accomplishments
With inflation on the rise and the economy not fully recovered from the pandemic, many Americans feel that the president didn't do enough during his first year to improve things domestically. That's why Biden will make sure to tout the things he did get done, including the American Rescue Plan, which was his first major piece of legislation last March that provided stimulus checks, a temporary advanced child tax credit, extended enhanced unemployment for another six months, and dispersed needed funds to schools and small businesses to continue running safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another major piece of legislation that passed with bipartisan support was an infrastructure plan designed to fix crumbling roads and bridges and help them resist climate change dangers, build a high-speed rail, add broadband internet to rural areas, and install charging stations for electric vehicles on roadways, among other things. Per The New York Times, Biden also enacted a plan during his first year that got 215 million Americans fully vaccinated against COVID.
Biden will talk about America's near future
Offering hope to Americans after a rough two years economically, President Joe Biden also plans to lay out an agenda for combatting rising costs on everyday items. According to the White House website, the president will use the State of the Union address to talk about fighting inflation while the economy bounces back now that we have learned to live a new normal due to COVID-19.
Steps Biden plans to lay out include one for strengthening the supply chains that were affected by the pandemic, reducing costs for middle class families, as well as reducing the deficit, and helping small businesses be successful while still protecting consumers.
Other topics Biden will likely discuss, according to Politico, are moving forward living with COVID as a part of our lives and what we can expect now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relaxed masking guidelines at the end of February. The outlet also expects the president to speak about his new Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson, who he expects will be easily confirmed and become the first Black woman to sit on the nation's highest court.