Biden gives first State of the Union Address
President Biden addressed the nation on a multitude of topics, from the war in Ukraine, to the economy and the need for bipartisanship.
Illustration by Andrea Contreras
March 1, President Joe Biden gave his first official State of the Union address before Congress. Biden called for strength and unity regarding issues at home and abroad.
Beginning with a measured response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, Biden condemned the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin and signaled to the Ukrainian people that the United States stands in solidarity with their plight: “Let each of us here, if you’re able to stand, stand and send an unmistakable signal to the world and Ukraine.”
He also addressed concerns of any military response by the United States in Ukraine, stating that while the U.S. would not be directly involved in the conflict, they were ready to “defend every inch of territory that is NATO territory with the full force of our collective power.” In addition, Biden also announced new punishments on the Russian economy, shutting off access to airspace by Russian flights.
“And tonight I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American air space to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia, and adding an additional squeeze on their economy.”
On rising gas prices, Biden announced that in conjunction with allies around the globe, 60 million barrels of oil from reserves would be released, in response to concerns of disrupted supply due to the war.
Regarding inflation, Biden urged lowering costs of prescription drugs, investments in infrastructure, and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, calling Congress to help “build a better America,” echoing the Build Back Better Act, the massive social policy bill which failed to pass in the Senate.
Biden pointed out a need for vigilance regarding potential future COVID-19 variants, voting reform, protection of women’s and LGBTQ+ rights and immigration reform. He called on Democrats and Republicans to set aside differences for the common good: “We can’t change how divided we’ve been. It was a long time coming. But we can change how to move forward—on Covid-19 and other issues that we must face together.”
After the speech, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds gave the Republican rebuttal to Biden’s address. The governor criticized many of the President’s actions, claiming that the current administration had “sent us back” several decades in terms of progress domestically and abroad.
“Instead of moving America forward, it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time to the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, when runaway inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing on our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds appealed to Americans to support the Republican party, citing that the party is taking charge of the issues most important and pressing: “We’re standing up for parents and kids. We’re standing up for life. We’re keeping our communities safe and thanking those in uniform… most of all, we’re respecting your freedom.”
In a rare move, representative Rashida Tlaib gave a response to Biden’s address on behalf of the Working Families Party, a progressive political action committee. The democratic congresswoman from Michigan called on the revival of the policies put forward in the Build Back Better Act, and argued that “no one fought harder for President Biden's agenda than progressives.”
“But two forces stood in the way: A Republican Party that serves only the rich and powerful, and just enough corporate-backed Democratic obstructionists to help them succeed,” Tlaib said.
