President Biden delivered his first State of the Union address tonight where he touched on a multitude of issues the US is facing on both the domestic and foreign fronts, while also reaffirming to Americans that the country and its people are “strong.”
Here are some key moments from his remarks:
Solidarity with the people of Ukraine: The Russian invasion of Ukraine was a focal point throughout the night and Biden began his remarks by addressing the conflict in a display of solidarity for the Ukrainian people. He received a bipartisan standing ovation as he called on members of Congress to stand in the House chamber in a show of support for the country. Ukraine Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova was one of first lady Jill Biden’s guests and stood up holding her country’s flag. Several members of Congress wore blue and yellow in support of Ukraine.
“Let each of us here tonight in this chamber, if you’re able to stand, stand and send an unmistakable signal to Ukraine and to the world,” the President said.
Biden also underscored unity against Russia within the US and among its allies. The President celebrated the impact actions will have on “Russian oligarchs and corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime no more.” He also asserted that “Russia’s economy is reeling and Putin alone is to blame.”
Pushing the “reset” button on Covid-19: Biden outlined his plan to emerge from the pandemic, calling for a bipartisan “reset” from the polarization of the last two years as the nation begins the return to normal.
“We have lost so much to Covid-19. Time with one another. And worst of all, much loss of life. Let’s use this moment to reset, stop looking at Covid-19 as a partisan dividing line. See it for what it is: A God-awful disease. Let’s stop seeing each other as enemies, and start seeing each other for who we are: Fellow Americans,” he said.
Biden outlined details on efforts to combat the pandemic. He announced that Americans who ordered free Covid-19 tests from covidtests.gov will be able to order additional tests “starting next week” and said his administration’s scientists are “working hard” to get vaccines authorized for children under five years of age.
Biden also noted that the US has tools needed to “end the shutdown” of schools and businesses, suggesting Americans can safely go back to the workplace.
Biden’s holding out hope on his Build Back Better agenda: Biden signaled that he still has hope to pass key parts of his Build Back Better agenda, despite his economic package not getting past the Senate. Biden touched on prescription drug costs and child care costs.
A history-making backdrop: For the first time ever, two women — Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — sat behind the president of the United States during an official State of the Union address.
Celebrating Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and touting nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson: Biden honored retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who was treated to an extended applause, and he introduced and made the case for his nominee to replace Breyer, Ketanji Brown Jackson, calling her a “consensus builder.”
Ending on a “strong” note: The President concluded his speech by reassuring the American people that, “The state of the union is strong, because you, the American people, are strong.”
“We are stronger today than we were a year ago,” Biden said. “And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today. Now is our moment to meet and overcome the challenges of our time. And we will, as one people. One America. The United States of America,” he said.
Read takeaways from Biden’s speech here and read about the night’s “hits” and “misses” here.
CNN’s Chris Cillizza, Betsy Klein and Maegan Vasquez contributed reporting to this post.
