On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address. He spoke on the ongoing issues the US is facing on several fronts, as well as his plans for the future of the nation. Throughout his entire speech, he reaffirmed the strength of America.
Many say it was a difficult time to address the nation considering the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which was the main focus for Biden in his speech. He emphasized solidarity with Ukraine, and unity with America’s allies against Russia. Many members of Congress showed their support by wearing blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag, during the ceremony.
In addition, Biden further outlined plans to continue combating the pandemic. He encouraged that going back to work is safe and added an explanation of the government's facilitation for free COVID tests.
Another aspect of his speech was his new domestic policy. He explained that he still has hope for the Build Back Better Bill, and will still push for some aspects of the bill to pass, including prescription drug costs and childcare costs.
He also introduced a new unity agenda with four main goals. These goals include: tackling the opioid epidemic, the declining mental health in children, increasing funding and medical services for veterans, and starting an advanced research project to study cancer.
Although some criticize his lack of addressing racial injustice, Biden has been acclaimed for making history as two women, Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sat behind him during his speech for the first time during the State of the Union Address.
Biden made sure to end on a strong note by underscoring the strength of America. Biden stated, “We are stronger today than we were a year ago, 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” (CNN).
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/02/1083785432/biden-state-of-the-union-recap
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/02/politics/state-of-the-union-biden-takeaways/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/biden-state-of-the-union-2022/index.html
Picture: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/08/biden-approval-rating-ukraine-00015065