President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address on Capitol Hill on Tuesday night, a chance for him to lay out his domestic agenda and speak to the world during the international crisis unfolding in Europe.
During the speech, set to begin at 9:00 pm (Washington, D.C. time) or 11:00 pm (Brasília time), the president is expected to focus heavily on the conflict in Ukraine and recognize the economic challenges Americans continue to face as result of rising inflation, global supply chain problems and high prices at gas stations.
But as the country approaches midterm elections in November, Biden will also surely recognize his political victories since taking office and chart a path to a “new normal” amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moving on to the main discourse, the latest research by the CNN Biden’s average approval rating stood at 40% approval versus 54% disapproval – indicating little has changed from the numbers since early February. And according to a recent CNN poll conducted by the SSRS, only 42% of respondents said they moderately trust the president to make the right decisions about the situation in Ukraine.
Here’s what to watch out for during Joe Biden’s State of the Union address:
Ukraine defense
White House officials and allies said the war in Ukraine will become a major focus for Biden’s remarks, a pivot that came as Russia invaded the eastern European country.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged Monday that conflict will play a disproportionate role in the president’s speech, saying in a summary that “there is no doubt that this speech is a little different than It would have been just a few months ago.”
Psaki said Biden is expected to expose the efforts he has undertaken “to rally the world to defend democracy and against the Russian onslaught.”
Biden, who has long claimed that the battle between autocracies and democracies would be the challenge of his life, is due to discuss the importance of the US as a global leader and the efforts he has made to mitigate the impacts of the war in Ukraine on Americans, such as increasing of gas prices, for example.
He will also speak about the steps the US has taken to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin and his inner circle for Russia’s acts of war against Ukraine. “And he will talk about the steps he has taken to mitigate the impact of President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on the global economy and the American people,” added Psaki.
Measures to boost the economy
Biden will address inflation during his speech, the White House says, outlining a new plan to cut costs for American families. And while he touts last year’s economic gains, the president is expected to emphasize that there is “more work” to be done to cut costs, officials said — an acknowledgment that despite a strong recovery, many Americans are still struggling. pessimistic about the economy.
The White House says the president will specifically lay out a four-point plan to reduce costs for American families and continue the US economic recovery amid the pandemic: make more goods in the United States, reduce daily expenses, promote fair competition and eliminate barriers. to “high-paying jobs” for American workers.
Along with the new efforts announced, Biden will speak about how his administration’s work has helped the country’s economic recovery.
He is expected to call on Congress to act on aspects of his social spending legislation, “Build Back Better,” which has been stalled in Congress since Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, announced that he would oppose the project.
But a senior administration official who reviewed Tuesday’s comments did not say whether Biden would explicitly call for approval of Build Back Better, just a month after Manchin told reporters the legislation was “dead.”
A ‘new normal’
For the first time since taking office, Biden will deliver a joint address to Congress to a full House where face masks are optional — a big change from his speech last year, which featured an audience wearing a mask, with extremely limited and socially distant seating.
The symbolism of the evening comes amid changes to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on mask use and the White House’s work to develop a strategy for the next phase of the pandemic.
Biden is expected to address the evolution of the pandemic and America’s response during the speech. His comments come ahead of the release of a new Covid-19 strategy document.
Led by Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients, White House officials spent weeks crafting a new document outlining the administration’s strategy for tackling the next phase of the pandemic, officials said. It is expected to address how the nation can mitigate the impacts of Covid while restoring a sense of normalcy in the country.
political victory laps
Democrats face an uphill battle to maintain control of the House when they reach the midterm elections in November. And it’s clear they hope the president can deliver a message to celebrate his and his party’s victories that reaches voters and boosts his poll numbers.
Biden, who began his second year in office with one of the lowest approval ratings of a modern president, acknowledged that his administration had not properly utilized its political victories.
White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told House Democrats in mid-February that he hoped the speech would boost Biden’s polls, in part by demonstrating leadership on national security and showing empathy for Americans frustrated by Covid-19 and inflation. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s recent landmark appointment to the Supreme Court should also be a boost.
But some Democrats, like Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, have warned that the president’s domestic agenda and any achievements he outlines during his speech were effectively “covered up by Ukraine.”
The speech comes on the same night that the midterm election season effectively kicks off with the Texas primary. It is the first state election to be held under Texas’ new restrictive voting law, and Biden has made voting rights a major focus in recent months, although he has been blocked from passing federal legislation to address the issue.
Voting will close statewide at 9 p.m. (Washington, D.C. time) or 11 p.m. PDT while Biden’s speech is in progress, but most state polls will close an hour earlier.
how to watch
CNN Brasil will broadcast the speech in its entirety, with analysis by our cast. Follow from 23:00 (Brasilia time).
With information from: Jennifer Agiesta, Ariel Edwards-Levy and Jeremy Diamond
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
