President Joe Biden will try to convince a divided Congress that Democrats and Republicans must work together on behalf of the American people when he delivers his second State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Facing dim prospects for more major legislative wins, a looming showdown over the federal budget and a GOP House investigating his administration and family, Biden will tout his successes and lay out new proposals.
Look for bipartisanship to be a recurring theme as he touches on the economy, the war in Ukraine, immigration and other issues. The speech, before a joint session of Congress, will serve as a prelude to Biden’s likely reelection bid in 2024.
Here’s what else is happening in politics Tuesday:
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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 disease ,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
A ‘Joe Biden’ State of the Union address
Biden and his aides have been busy for weeks drafting his speech. The prep work continued over the weekend, when Biden huddled with senior aides at Camp David, the presidential retreat just outside of Washington. The speech will be polished and tweaked right up until the last minute, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
The White House declined to provide any insight into the writing process, but Jean-Pierre noted that this is hardly Biden’s first big address.
“The president was a senator for 36 years, he was vice president for eight years, he has been president for two years,” she said. “He knows how the process works. He knows how important (the speech) is going to be. And when you hear the speech, it’s going to sound like a Joe Biden State of the Union speech.”
– Michael Collins
The State of the Union is Tuesday:Here’s what you can expect from Joe Biden’s speech
How do I watch the State of the Union?
The major TV networks and other news outlets, such as Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and PBS, are providing live coverage of the address, in addition to some online livestreams. The speech will be livestreamed by USA TODAY.
– Marina Pitofsky
What to know:How do I watch the State of the Union? Why is the annual speech important?
