President Joe Biden will deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress tonight, where he will lay out his agenda for the upcoming year.
President Biden’s speech will begin at 8:00 p.m. CST and will be streamed online and on multiple major networks on TV and radio.
Biden and his top aides spent the weekend in Camp David preparing the address to Congress and the nation.
The State of the Union address comes following a stellar January jobs report on Friday, growing tensions with China following the shooting down of a Chinese balloon in American air space, and amidst a war between Russia and Ukraine where the Ukrainians are being supported by the U.S. and our western allies.
While the Democrats picked up seats in the Senate during last November’s midterms, the Republicans now control the U.S. House of Representatives, and Republican Kevin McCarthy has replaced Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker of the House.
President Biden is faced with a standoff with McCarthy and the Republicans over raising the debt ceiling. Republicans have said they would like to decrease federal spending to limit inflation as a condition for raising the debt ceiling. He has said that he is not willing to negotiate with House Republicans on spending to get the needed debt ceiling increase.
The Treasury Department in January implemented “extraordinary measures” to prevent the U.S. from a government default on the debt. The U.S. has until June before the government can’t pay its bills. The U.S. national debt is in excess of $31.5 trillion and growing.
President Biden is expected to press Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The Civil Rights community is pushing the administration hard on policing reform.
Biden may also urge Congress to pass a new assault weapons ban.
Congresswoman Terri Sewell will be accompanied by survivors of the recent tornado touchdown in Selma.
“The Curry’s of Selma will be my special guest at the State of the Union representing the survivors of the Jan 12th tornadoes that ripped through Selma and Dallas Co.,” said Rep. Sewell on social media. “Their beautiful home destroyed! But they were unharmed! God is Good!”
Biden has not yet announced his decision on whether or not he will run for a second term as president in the 2024 election. Biden is not expected to make that announcement in his address, but political observers will watch the speech closely, looking for any clues to his intentions.
A Republican response will follow President Biden’s address. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will present the GOP response to the Biden address.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to address the nation and contrast the GOP’s optimistic vision for the future against the failures of President Biden and the Democrats,” Gov. Sanders said. “We are ready to begin a new chapter in the story of America – to be written by a new generation of leaders ready to defend our freedom against the radical left and expand access to quality education, jobs, and opportunity for all.”
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