US President Joe Biden has delivered his third State of the Union address.
Addressing a joint session of Congress, he touted his administration’s economic record, called for aid to Ukraine and sought to distinguish himself from his predecessor Donald Trump.
He also called on Israel to allow more aid into Gaza in heated speech.
Opening his address, Biden noted that the United States faces an “unprecedented moment.”
“What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack at both home and overseas,” Biden said.
Biden iterated his call for the U.S to continue giving aid to Ukraine.
He stressed that the purpose of the State of the Union address is to “wake up the Congress and alert the American people” that democracy is at stake.
Biden said, “If anybody in this room thinks (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you he will not.”
U.S President asserted that Ukraine is asking for military assistance and weapons to help fight back against Russia, not U.S personnel.
“They’re not asking for American soldiers. In fact, there are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine. And I’m determined to keep it that way.”
Joe Biden
Biden stated that his message to Putin was simple: “We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down.”
Also, Biden criticized former President Donald Trump’s previous comments encouraging Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to any NATO country that doesn’t meet spending guidelines on defense.
“I think it’s outrageous, it’s dangerous and it’s unacceptable.” Biden said of Trump’s comments.
Biden did not reference Trump by name. He called him “my predecessor, a former Republican President.”
Biden also made reference to the January 6 insurrection.
“The insurrectionists were not patriots,” Biden told members of Congress, adding, “They’d come to stop the peaceful transfer of power, to overturn the will of the people.”
Biden said the former President and many in attendance “seek to bury the truth about January 6,” something he said he would not do.
“This is a moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. Here’s the simple truth: you can’t love your country only when you win.”
Joe Biden
More so, Biden addressed reproductive freedom and promised to restore the right to an abortion “to the law of the land again.”
Biden said, among other things, that he will lower the costs of prescription drugs for Americans with legislation he has proposed and signed.
In addition, Biden hailed America’s economy, calling it “the envy of the world.”
He claimed the economy created a record 15 million jobs in the first three years of his term.
Biden said that he wants to expand education provisions, including “high-quality tutoring and summer learning” for children nationwide, raising public school teacher salaries, and increasing investments into historically Black colleges and universities.
“To remain the strongest economy in the world, we need to have the best education system in the world,” he said.
Furthermore, Biden proposed taxing the country’s wealthiest people more, arguing that the money could be used to continue cutting the federal deficit and fund federal initiatives.
“No billionaire should pay a lower federal tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker, or a nurse,” he averred.
President Joe Biden took a strong stance on immigration during his speech, reflecting on the origins of the country and criticizing former President Donald Trump’s stance on the topic.
“I will not demonize immigrants saying they are poison in the blood of our country,” he said.
“I will not separate families. I will not ban people because of their faith, unlike my predecessor. Unlike my predecessor, I know who we are as Americans and we’re the only nation in the world with the heart and soul that draws from old and new.
“Home to Native Americans whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years, home to people from every place on Earth.”
Joe Biden
President Joe Biden brought up the work his administration has done on border security reforms.
Sen. Katie Britt Delivers Republican Response To Biden’s Address
Delivering the Republican party’s response to Biden’s State of the Union address, Alabama Senator, Katie Britt criticized President Joe Biden’s stance on securing U.S borders, saying that “our country can do better.”
She said that Biden “inherited the most secure border of all time,” but during his time as President he “didn’t just create this border crisis, he invited it.”
Britt stated that he is “out of touch” and does not understand the issues facing American families.
Britt also noted that the President’s remarks were a “performance of a perm politician.”
Britt, who is the youngest Republican woman elected to the U.S Senate, said Biden has been in office for “longer than I’ve been alive.”
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