WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will emphasize in his State of the Union address areas where Democrats and Republicans can work together as he also calls for action on more divisive issues that are unlikely to gain traction in a divided Congress.
The latest on Biden’s speech:
- Speech starts at 9 p.m. EST: Biden’s second State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol will be livestreamed by USA TODAY.
- What policies will Biden address?: His “unity agenda” includes fighting the opioid epidemic, improving mental health, supporting veterans and cutting cancer death rates. Biden will applaud bipartisan efforts to address those issues and push for additional action in his speech.
- He’ll push billionaire taxes, insulin prices: He will also renew his calls for a minimum tax on billionaires, a cap on insulin prices for all Americans, extending expanded Medicaid coverage to all states and other Democratic priorities that face an uphill battle.
Republican response: Sarah Huckabee Sanders follows in historic footsteps with her State of the Union response
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the first former White House press secretary to deliver a formal State of the Union response – she is not, however, the first governor of Arkansas to do the honors.
Back in 1985, the Democrats picked a young governor of Arkansas to deliver their response to President Ronald Reagan.
His name? Bill Clinton … then-future President Bill Clinton.
Sanders will give the Republican rebuttal after Biden’s speech.
– David Jackson
5 big questions for the SOTU:Is he running? 5 big questions Joe Biden will answer in the State of the Union
Biden and China: Spy balloon likely to be addressed
The speech is a chance for Biden to respond to those who have criticized how he handled the suspected Chinese spy balloon that drifted over the United States last week – and to send a public message to China. Republicans have accused Biden of showing weakness by not shooting down the balloon sooner.
Tensions have been rising with China, which the U.S. considers its biggest strategic and economic competitor. The nations have clashed over Taiwan, technology, human rights, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other disputes.
The Biden administration has been trying to stabilize the relationship, building what it’s called “guardrails” as it normalizes interaction. But one effort to do that – sending Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China – was postponed because of the balloon incident.
– Maureen Groppe and Michael Collins
Intel chair: China balloon flew over nuke sites
Biden to lay out ‘forceful approach’ to combatting fentanyl
The Biden administration will launch a national campaign to educate young people on the dangers of fentanyl, part of the “forceful approach” for going after fentanyl trafficking and reducing overdose deaths.
Other steps include:
- Using new large-scale scanners to improve efforts to stop fentanyl from being brought into the U.S. through the southern border.
- Working with package delivery companies to catch more packages containing fentanyl from being shipped around the country.
- Working with Congress to make permanent a temporary tool that that’s helped federal agents crack down on drugs chemically similar to fentanyl.
– Maureen Groppe
5 big questions on Biden’s speech:Is he running? 5 big questions Joe Biden will answer in the State of the Union
Biden to plug job market as recession looms
President Joe Biden is expected to take credit for a booming job market and easing inflation when he speaks to the nation Tuesday night.
But he’ll likely leave out a litany of trouble spots, including a slumping housing market, a monthslong manufacturing downturn and elevated recession risk this year. Meanwhile, inflation is still high and economists pin at least some of the blame on Biden for showering Americans with cash in early 2021 while the economy was already healing.
– Paul Davidson
State of the economy:A look at economy’s strengths, weaknesses as Biden sets to boast of record job growth in State of Union
Bono, Tyre Nichols’ family members among guests sitting with first lady Jill Biden Tuesday night
The lead singer for the rock group U2, Bono, and Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, are among the White House guests attending President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday.
Guests are chosen to highlight themes of the president’s speech or because they represent his policy initiatives.
Bono is the cofounder of the ONE campaign to fight poverty and preventable diseases, and (RED), which fights HIV/AIDS in Africa. Other guests who will be sitting with first lady Jill Biden during the speech include:
- The mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers.
- Brandon Tsay, the man who disarmed the Monterey Park gunman who killed 11 people and injured 10 others during a Lunar New Year celebration.
- A Texas woman who almost died because doctors were concerned that intervening when her pregnancy ran into difficulties would violate the state’s abortion ban.
- One of the Massachusetts same-sex couples who sued the state for the right to marry in 2001.
– Maureen Groppe
What to expect from tonight’s speech:Here’s what you can expect from Joe Biden’s speech
Biden’s speech comes amid job gains
One accomplishment Biden is sure to bring up tonight is the level of job gains under his presidency. Since he took office the unemployment rate went from 6.3% to 3.4%, per the latest jobs data.
Despite recession fears and massive tech layoffs, U.S. employers added 517,000 new jobs last month, well exceeding economists’ expectations of around 180,000 new jobs.
The blowout jobs report paved the way for the Federal Reserve to pass more rate hikes aimed at lowering inflation, Fed Chairman Powell said in remarks he delivered earlier today. But the rate hikes could push the economy closer to a recession, which the central bank has avoided so far.
– Elisabeth Buchwald
Stock market under Biden
Since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 10%. Last year the index fell into a bear market, meaning it dropped 20% below a market peak set last January.
During former President Donald Trump’s time in office, the Dow gained 56%. That represents an annualized gain of close to 12%, one of the best stock market performances under a Republican president according to data from LPL Financial.
– Elisabeth Buchwald
What time is the State of the Union speech tonight?
Biden’s State of the Union speech is Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.
How to stream the SOTU
The speech will be livestreamed by USA TODAY.
Who is the designated survivor tonight?
The State of the Union address, delivered to a joint session of Congress and a crowd that includes all nine Supreme Court justices, poses a unique scenario in which every key member of the nation’s leadership is in one room.
That makes it both a momentous affair, and a significant national security risk. For this reason, each year one member of the president’s Cabinet dubbed the “designated survivor” hangs back.
The practice dates back to the Cold War, during which fears of a Soviet Nuclear attack abounded and a fresh urgency surrounded protocols for the order of presidential succession. The designated survivor for 2023 has not yet been announced, but heads of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Energy have most frequently been chosen.
– Anna Kaufman
What channel is the State of the Union on?
The major TV networks and other news outlets, such as Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and PBS, are providing live coverage of the address.
What is the State of the Union address?
The State of the Union address isn’t just a tradition in the nation’s capital. It’s rooted in the Constitution.
Article II of the Constitution says the president shall “from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union.”
That doesn’t mean the president has to give a speech – as they often do today.
“From that very general mandate in the Constitution has evolved into what we recognize today as a yearly event, with lots of pomp and circumstance,” Claire Jerry, a curator of political history at the National Museum of American History, told USA TODAY.
– Marina Pitofsky
When did the annual message become known as State of the Union address?
From 1790 to 1946, the speech delivered by the president to Congress was known simply as the “Annual Message.”
In 1947 is became the ‘State of the Union’ and has since been referred to by that name.
– Anna Kaufman
What is the origin of the state of the union address?
Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution states that the president will “give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
This language birthed the practice, allowing the executive to deliver to a joint session of Congress and the American people.
In the modern era, the speech has become a vehicle for administrations to roll out their policy priorities for the coming year and spotlight key agenda issues.
– Anna Kaufman
