President Joe Biden touted his economic achievements and scolded Republicans in his State of the Union address on Tuesday – previewing the case for re-election.
Facing a divided Congress for the first time since taking office, Biden held back as Republicans heckled him on the floor of the House of Representatives, which they now control.
A series of tense exchanges during the traditionally genteel event highlighted the partisan rancor Biden will need to overcome to accomplish anything with the new Congress — including just avoiding a catastrophic default on the US debt. Increase in loan limit.
He pointed to the economic progress made during his presidency and said he would not let Republicans “hold the economy hostage” over the debt limit.
“Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back, the choices we have made in the last two years,” he said.
Still, Biden faced a chorus of insults and scattered insults such as “liar” on various issues.
The outbursts come mainly from a handful of the usual suspects, Republicans who have been known to pull stunts and provoke leaders of both parties.
But Biden was also unusually combative at times and notably at others. (He said “guys” more than 20 times.)
In a particularly tense exchange, Biden accused Republicans of wanting to “sunset” Social Security and Medicare as part of negotiations on raising the debt ceiling.
GOP lawmakers appeared bemused at the allegation, expressing dramatic levels of shock and outrage, while others scoffed and scoffed.
Biden said, “Anybody who has doubts about it, contact my office. I’ll give you a copy of the resolution.”
He took control of the situation by saying, in part, that the outcry showed that both sides wanted to keep entitlement programs out of the debt ceiling talks.
“As we can all clearly agree, Social Security and Medicare are off the books now, right?” Biden said. “Okay, we have a consensus.”
But some limits were crossed, and the taunts continued throughout Biden’s speech when he addressed issues such as immigration and the opioid crisis, with one Republican shouting that it was Biden’s fault.
It was a very different tone in how Biden began his speech – by congratulating Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California on his election with some friendly ribbing.
Biden joked, “Speaker, I don’t want to tarnish your reputation, but I look forward to working with you.” “People have sent us a clear message. Fighting for fight’s sake, power for power’s sake, struggle for struggle’s sake gets us nowhere.”
The camaraderie quickly crumbled as Biden delved deeper into his speech.
With his re-election campaign just over the horizon, the president called out Republicans, calling out the “big lie” that former President Donald Trump told about his failed 2020 presidential campaign and ad-libbed saucy comebacks.
“Now, some members here are threatening to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. Right. That’s fair,” Biden said before straying beyond his prepared remarks. “As my football coach used to say, your Lots of good luck in senior year!”
Facing widespread concerns about his age and health, Biden, 80, spoke at an energetic and rapid clip before slowing down and adopting a more intimate tone.
He leaned into the microphone as he alternated between making eye contact with lawmakers in the room and speaking directly to the camera — and the audience at home — while occasionally making his somewhat-familiar verbal flubs. Was.
With Republicans now in control of the House, Biden said the two parties can still find room to work together to make things work.
This includes areas such as countering China – although many Republicans are unhappy with how he handled Chinese spy balloons – boosting American manufacturing and regulating powerful technology companies, he said.
Biden said of computer chips, “The US used to make about 40% of the world’s chips. But over the past few decades, we lost our edge.” “We came together to pass the bipartisan Chips and Science Act. We’re making sure the supply chain for America starts in America.”
Biden promoted federal funds that Washington is pumping into congressional districts across the country to support new infrastructure projects.
Biden said, “In the midst of the economic turmoil of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated as if they are invisible. You might be watching it at home. You get that.” Remember the jobs that are gone.” “It’s a blue-collar blueprint for rebuilding America and making a real difference in your life.”
The State of the Union is one of the highest-profile events of the year for any president, and it was an important opportunity for Biden to speak directly to American voters before he formally announces his campaign , which is expected this spring.
Drawing on themes that helped Biden win the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and then the general election, the White House said America is emerging stronger than ever from the twin crises that marked its inauguration two years ago. Is – the coronavirus pandemic and the 6 January uprising.
“We are the only country that has emerged stronger from every crisis when we entered it. That’s what we’re doing again,” Biden said. “Two years ago, Covid shut down our businesses, closed our schools and robbed us of a lot. Today, Covid no longer controls our lives. And two years ago, our democracy faced its greatest threat since the Civil War. Today, though hurt, our democracy remains unshakable and unbroken.
Americans ranked “dealing with the coronavirus” among more than 20 issues asked in a recent Pew Research Center survey, which found that economic concerns were far more prevalent.
The speech is likely to draw a smaller audience than Biden’s earlier addresses to Congress or his predecessors, but he and his team have spent days in preparation, including over the weekend at Camp David, the president’s return to Maryland Is.
Republicans were also prepared, with Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivering the GOP’s official response from Little Rock, Arkansas, where Sanders, one of Trump’s White House press secretaries, recently won the governorship.
While Biden spent little time on the issues of the so-called culture war, Sanders focused on them.
“When you cut through the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard realities facing Americans every day,” she said. “Every day, we are told that we must participate in their rituals, salute their flags and worship their false idols… while big governments collude with Big Tech to make the most American thing — Your freedom of expression can be taken away.”