(WASHINGTON) — The most dramatic moment of Tuesday’s State of the Union address came when several Republicans audibly booed President Joe Biden, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene even shouting he’s a “liar.”
The cause of their anger: what he claims “some Republicans” want to do to Social Security.
Biden accused some in the GOP of wanting to make changes to the entitlement program, which 65 million Americans currently rely on, including putting the money spent to a vote.
Given how politically sensitive the subject is, the Republican pushback was swift, and Biden quickly turned the tables.
“So, folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? They’re not to be touched?” Biden shot back. “All right. All right. We got unanimity.”
The back-and-forth represented a debate Democrats and Republicans have been engaged in for months over Social Security, especially when it comes to government spending and the debt ceiling. Republicans have demanded spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling and avoiding default, but the party has not laid out exactly what cuts it wants.
Here’s what Tuesday night’s fight is all about:
What proposal was Biden referencing?
While Biden said in his speech he was “politely not naming” any one lawmaker, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida last year proposed “sunsetting” all federal programs every five years, unless Congress votes to renew them. Social Security would theoretically fall under that broad umbrella.
“Anybody who doubts it, contact my office. I’ll give you a copy. I’ll give you a copy of the proposal,” Biden said to counter the shouts of “liar.”
Richard Johnson, a senior fellow and director of the retirement policy program at liberal-leaning Urban Institute, said it’s hard to imagine Scott’s proposal would be “workable.”
“It would certainly undermine confidence in the program,” Johnson told ABC News. “It would really create a lot of uncertainty about people’s retirement benefits in the future.”
Do Republicans support Scott’s plan?
The proposal wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was quick to call Scott’s plan a “nonstarter” after it was released.
“We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half of the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years,” he said at the time.
Scott defended his proposal on Wednesday, stating he doesn’t want cuts to Social Security and that he “will not be silenced by the Washington establishment.”
What have Republicans said about Social Security?
Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, said while Democrats have been consistent in their views against cuts to Social Security, Republicans’ positions are a bit murkier.
“That’s simply because they’re not speaking with one voice, and there’s different views among Republicans both on the policy they would want and the strategy they would advocate to get to that policy,” Biggs told ABC News.
Along with Scott’s plan, Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson had suggested making the program’s funding discretionary rather than mandatory and up for approval every year. Johnson said the intent is to better track Social Security funding, but experts have worried it could subject the program to protracted budget battles.
The Republican Study Committee, which represents the largest group of House Republicans, previously called for raising the age for Social Security to 70 for younger workers and trimming auxiliary benefits for high-income earners in order to cut costs.
When the debt ceiling issue began, some Republicans seeking spending cuts proposed thinking about how Social Security — which accounted for nearly 20% of federal spending, or $1.22 trillion, last fiscal year — could be altered.
Where does Social Security stand in the debt ceiling debate?
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, before Republicans won back control of the House, raised eyebrows when he told Punchbowl News in October he wouldn’t “predetermine” whether reforming the entitlement program would be part of the negotiations.
But McCarthy’s since said cuts to Social Security and Medicare won’t be part of GOP demands in the debt ceiling talks.
“Cuts to Medicare and Social Security, they’re off the table,” he told reporters on the eve of Biden’s State of the Union address.
What about the problems facing Social Security?
As the back-and-forth between Democrats and Republicans continues, Congress will eventually need to act on Social Security as it faces a long-term funding shortfall.
With more retirees taking out the system than there are workers putting into it, the Social Security trust fund has estimated that by 2034 it would be able to cover only 77% of scheduled benefits. They’ve asked Congress to address the issue before it gets to that point.
Possible solutions include raising the full retirement age, increasing the payroll tax, reducing benefits for higher earners and more. In contrast to GOP proposals, Democrats have so far generally coalesced around Social Security tax increases for the wealthy, while significantly increasing benefits.
“Congress has been a poor steward of this program, in the sense that they simply delayed acting on the solvency issue and it’s clear they’re delaying and for political purposes because they don’t want to make the difficult decisions,” Biggs said.
“But it can’t kick the can down the road forever. And the longer you kick it down the road, the harder it gets.”
(WASHINGTON) — Former Twitter executives told a House committee Wednesday that the social media company made a mistake in its handling of a controversial New York Post story on Hunter Biden’s laptop.
The action by the social media platform just weeks before the 2020 election unleashed a wave of backlash from Republicans, who accused Twitter executives of suppressing the story to shield President Joe Biden and his family from what they say was damaging material found on a laptop hard drive belonging to the president’s son.
During a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, Republicans grilled the three executives about the company’s decision to block users from sharing the story on the younger Biden, and suggested the social media giant acted under orders from the government when it suppressed the story.
“America witnessed a coordinated campaign by social media companies, mainstream news and the intelligence communities to suppress and de-legitimize the existence of Hunter Biden’s laptop and its contents,” Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in his opening remarks.
The former Twitter employees called the platform’s decision regarding the story a “mistake,” but denied that they had acted in concert with government officials.
“I’ve been clear that in my judgment at the time, Twitter should not have taken action to block the New York Post’s reporting,” said Yoel Roth, former head of safety and integrity. He said the company made the decision because the Biden laptop story was reminiscent of the 2016 Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee.
Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s former chief legal officer, echoed Roth by saying that Twitter admitted that “its initial action was wrong” and changed its policy within 24 hours.
“The New York Post chose not to delete its original tweets, so Twitter made an exception after two weeks to retroactively apply the new policy to the Post’s tweets,” Gadde said. “In hindsight, Twitter should have reinstated the Post account immediately.”
During the hearing Roth also said that Twitter’s relationship with government employees would benefit from increased transparency.
“Transparency is at the heart of this work, and it’s where I think Twitter — and all of social media — can and must do better,” Roth said. “Trust is built on understanding, and right now the vast majority of people don’t understand how or why content moderation decisions are made.”
Republicans accused former Twitter executives of “being terrified” of Joe Biden not winning 2020 election and colluding with the FBI.
“You were entrusted with the highest level of power at Twitter, but when you were faced with the New York Post story, instead of allowing people to judge the information for themselves, you rushed to find a reason why the American people shouldn’t see it,” said Comer. “In a matter of hours, you were deciding on the truth of a story that spans years and dozens of complex international transactions. You did this because you were terrified of Joe Biden not winning the election in 2020.”
Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, accused the Twitter executives of having “weekly meetings” with the FBI and accused the executives of colluding with the agency to remove the New York Post article.
“I think you guys wanted it to be taken down,” Jordan said. “They send you all kinds of emails … I think you guys wanted to take it down. I think you guys got played by the FBI.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who was briefly suspended by Twitter in 2021 for tweeting the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, also accused the former Twitter employees of “colluding with the FBI.”
“I am angry for the millions of Americans who were silenced because of your decisions, because of your actions, because of your collusion with the federal government,” Boebert said.
“We don’t know where the FBI ends and Twitter begins,” Boebert said.
But Roth denied the accusations, telling the committee that the FBI did not tell Twitter the laptop hard drive was fake or hacked.
Twitter’s former Deputy Counsel James Baker, who was fired by new Twitter CEO Elon Musk in December, also said he was not in communication with the FBI about the company’s decision to suppress the article.
At one point during the hearing, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., asked former Twitter employee Anika Collier Navaroli about a request made by the Trump White House that Twitter remove a tweet from celebrity Chrissy Teigen that insulted then-President Donald Trump.
“The White House almost immediately thereafter contacted Twitter to demand the tweet be taken down. Is that accurate?” Connolly asked Navaroli.
“I do remember hearing we’d received a request from the White House to make sure we evaluated this tweet, and they wanted it to come down because it was a derogatory statement directed at the president,” Navaroli replied.
Twitter did not remove the tweet, she said.
During the hearing, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said that Republicans were focusing on a “two-year-old story” about a private company that is allowed to make decisions on what content to allow on its platform.
“The key point here is that it was Twitter’s decision,” Raskin said in his opening statements. “Twitter is a private media company. In America, private media companies can decide what to publish.”
“Instead of letting this trivial pursuit go, my colleagues have tried to whip up a faux scandal about this two-day lapse in their ability to spread Hunter Biden propaganda on a private media platform,” Raskin said of the hearing. “Silly does not even begin to capture this obsession.”
Democrats instead focused on how the social media platform may have helped to incite violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“What makes this hearing tragic is that, if our colleagues really wanted to examine a serious problem involving American democracy and social media, my friends, it is staring us in the face right now, “said Raskin.
Navaroli also argued that lawmakers should be focusing on “Twitter’s failure to act before Jan. 6.”
“Twitter leadership bent and broke their own rules in order to protect some of the most dangerous speech on the platform” in the months leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Navaroli said.
(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez weighed in on President Joe Biden’s second State of the Union address, praising the commander in chief and criticizing Republicans for their outbursts during the speech.
Ocasio-Cortez was among the lawmakers in attendance Tuesday as Biden addressed Congress and the nation. He spoke of police reform, prioritizing Social Security and the need for cooperation in a divided Congress.
The New York congresswoman shared her thoughts with ABC News Live’s Linsey Davis about Biden’s agenda and whether she would support the president for another term.
DAVIS: The Republican response to President Biden’s address was delivered tonight by Arkansas governor and former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Let’s take a listen to a portion of her remarks.
“I’m the first woman to lead my state, and he’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is. In the radical left’s America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country. Whether Joe Biden believes this madness or is simply too weak to resist it, his administration has been completely hijacked by the radical left. The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy. A woke mob who can’t even tell you what a woman is.”‘
Some interesting characterizations there from Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We are joined now by Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York for her reaction to tonight’s address. Thank you so much for joining us, Congresswoman.
REP. OCASIO-CORTEZ: Thank you for having me.
DAVIS: So first, just curious to get your response to Gov. Huckabee Sanders there in her remarks.
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, you know, I think that it’s unsurprising that a governor, Gov. Huckabee Sanders’ response was emotionally and thematically kind of in tune with how Republicans were behaving tonight. I think that it was very mischaracteristic. It relied on a lot of kind of straw men and red herrings. And frankly, I think it was particularly insensitive and insulting. That line that you just repeated about, you know, quote unquote, not knowing what a woman is in this moment when, you know, trans Americans have been under so much attack. It is disgusting, frankly, to have such a vulnerable community targeted on such a large platform and alluded to and insinuated to in this way when they deserve dignity, just like every other American does.
DAVIS: And let’s move back into what we saw on the floor in the chamber tonight. What was your reaction to some of those outbursts by Republicans responding to some of the president’s claims on issues like cutting Social Security, responding with heckles and shouts of ‘liar’?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Yeah, you know, I I think it was quite surprising, quite shocking. Even under the even under President Trump and his administration, we never saw such a contentious and heckled State of the Union. Even when President Trump himself was advancing statements that many would consider false or, you know, at best, arguable. And so it was quite diminishing, I think, of the character of the body and what this you know, what what this speech was about and what it is about institutionally, which is a report to the public and the in the whole of Congress on the State of the Union and the president’s plans for the future. So it was it was truly bizarre to see that happen.
But I also think that it’s quite reflective of the fact that the Republican Party has been making such an effort to say that they have not been taken over by this extreme wing of the party. But I think what tonight showed is that that quote unquote, extreme wing has become their center to the point that they that they there isn’t really much self-control, especially when it came to these claims around Republicans seeking to cut Social Security and Medicare. You know, they may say that it’s not true, but if you look at their plan, they’re really speaking between the lines. There is no way that they can meet these financial goals that they have advanced without touching this this spending.
And so they really need to reckon with which, you know, which claim that they’re sticking to. Are they sticking to this claim around their budgetary plan or are they not going to touch Social Security and Medicare? And I think the president extended his hand and said, let’s not touch Social Security and Medicare.
DAVIS: On President Biden’s message, how effectively do you think that he was or how effective do you think that he was in making the case for his agenda tonight?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: You know, I believe that the president really stuck to kitchen table issues, him talking about the price of insulin. Him talking about, you know, maxing out the or rather capping the out-of-pocket maximums for prescription drugs at $2,000 a year. These are important things. But on top of that, I think he he really clearly called out institutions like Big Pharma or influences like Big Pharma.
He called out the profit margins that these oil companies, while they were purchasing stock buybacks while confronting Americans and passing on some of the highest fuel prices that Americans have have encountered in the last year.
So I think it was important. I think him drawing that contrast tonight was important because it is important to really delineate what these alternatives are in order for him to clarify what path he’s choosing.
DAVIS: The president spoke briefly about police reform. With so many family members of victims of police violence in the audience tonight, is there any way that you see that the parties will be able to come together to pass something meaningful? We know that it made it out of the House last time, but then stalled in the Senate. Tim Scott and Cory Booker are just not able to get it over the finish line. At this point, where do you think that things stand?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: Well, you know, I think overcoming a Senate filibuster with ten Republican senators who are willing to take on the issue of police brutality, that is a very, very steep hill to climb. There is, you know, barely even the ability to recognize this fact that this is that this is an issue even after George Floyd and Trayvon Martin and now Tyre Nichols and so many other victims, Sandra Bland and just Breonna Taylor, I mean, the names go on. But the recognition among the Republican Party for us to tackle this as the civil rights issue that it is, is lacking.
And so, I believe that that does put additional pressure on the administration in whichever ways that they can, to use the power of the executive office, whether or the bully pulpit of the presidency, as he did tonight, to elevate the legitimacy of this issue with a lived reality for millions of Americans.
DAVIS: President Biden, of course, has not officially announced his 2024 plans, but the speech very much felt like he was making the case for another term. Like to get your take, would you support President Biden in 2024? Do you see any other Democrats as a better option than Joe Biden?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: You know, presently it doesn’t seem that that that they’re you know, I believe that President Biden right now is the only candidate that the Democratic Party is advancing. And I believe that, you know, should he and when he wins the nomination, he will absolutely have my support. He has you know, he has my support as the candidate for president. Yes.
DAVIS: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, we thank you so much for coming on the show. Appreciate your time.
(WASHINGTON) — Top House Republicans, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, on Wednesday defended their members for heckling President Joe Biden and calling him a “liar” during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address.
While the evening saw GOP outbursts when Biden mentioned the southern border and fentanyl crisis, the shouts of “liar” happened when Biden, referring to the debt ceiling standoff, said “some Republicans” had proposed Social Security and Medicare programs be “sunset” every five years for renewal as part of a cost-cutting plan put out by Florida Sen. Rick Scott last year, but not endorsed by GOP leadership.
“So, folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare off the books now, right?” Biden said as Republicans protested, taking political advantage of the moment. “All right. We got unanimity.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise dismissed the shouting to ABC News’ Gabe Ferris on Wednesday morning, saying that Republicans were justified calling Biden a liar because, he claimed, he was lying.
McCarthy said similar on Fox News, “Well, the president was trying to goad the members, and the members are passionate about it — but the one thing that the president was saying was something that he knew was not true.”
“I’ve said it many times before: Social Security and Medicare are off the table. He tries to use that for a political ploy,” McCarthy said. “We need to be smart. He’s trying to play politics with the debt ceiling, by not negotiating, by lying about our position … We need to be smart. Don’t take the bait.”
When Biden said that some Republicans considered cutting those programs, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., repeatedly yelled, “Liar!” from the back of the chamber. McCarthy shook his head and lightly shushed his members.
Saying, “I am not sorry one bit,” Greene told CNN Biden “got exactly what he deserved,” and that she didn’t think “Speaker McCarthy is upset with any of us.”
Greene’s outburst came despite McCarthy warning her and other GOP members, before Biden’s speech, that the mics were hot and cameras were on. He also said his party follows a “code of ethics” and wouldn’t participate in “childish games like tearing up a speech,” a reference to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripping up a copy of then-President Donald Trump’s prepared remarks after the 2020 State of the Union address.
The moments have become illustrations for how much the political landscape has changed in a decade.
In contrast, in 2009, after South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson famously shouted, “You lie!” during former President Barack Obama’s address on health care, other Republicans pressured him to apologize and the Democratic-controlled House at the time voted to formally rebuke him, saying his comment was a “breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre applauded Biden’s performance and seemed happy to discuss the heckling with reporters on Air Force One on Wednesday en route to Wisconsin.
“We talked about the split screen, right? You saw that from the president, and you saw what the Republicans were all about — jeering and behaving in a way that again, Americans don’t want,” she said. “They told us very clearly after the midterms what they wanted.”
Jean-Pierre defended Biden from GOP outrage over his comment on Social Security and Medicare, saying that the president forced them to go “on defense” on a national stage.
“Members of the Republican caucus, have repeatedly, repeatedly, for many, many years, tried to cut Medicare and Social Security, to privatize it, raise the retirement age,” she said. “They’ve actually voted on that and put it on the chopping block. That’s what we’ve seen them do for years. And they always tried to speak out of both sides of their mouths.”
She specifically called out Sen. Mike Lee. R-Utah, for his objection to Biden’s remarks, noting there was video circling social media of him saying in 2010 he wanted to tear Medicare and Social Security out by the roots.
“What we saw last night was a president who called out members, right?” Jean-Pierre added. “As we’re talking about jeering and how they were responding, he called out members out on live television, in front of millions of Americans and effectively put them on the defense. That’s what we did. That’s what the president did — put them on the defense.”
Regardless of the raucous response from Republicans, Biden took the night as a win.
Asked what he thought of the rowdiness when leaving the chamber Tuesday night, Biden told ABC News’ Will Steakin, “Rowdy? I thought it was a nice reception,” he said, with a smile and laugh.
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Lauren Peller, Will Steakin, Gabe Ferris and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday delivered his second State of the Union address, this time to a divided Congress.
In a speech that clocked in at 72 minutes, Biden urged unity as he called on lawmakers to “finish the job” on key priorities such as the economy, police reform, health care, gun control and more.
Read the official White House transcript of his speech, with corrections, below:
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker — (applause) —
(Turns to audience members.) Thank you. You can smile. It’s okay.
Mr. Speaker, Madam Vice President, our First Lady and Second Gentleman — good to see you guys up there — (applause) — members of Congress —
And, by the way, Chief Justice, I may need a court order. She gets to go to the game tomorr- — next week. I have to stay home. (Laughter.) We got to work something out here.
Members of the Cabinet, leaders of our military, Chief Justice, Associate Justices, and retired Justices of the Supreme Court, and to you, my fellow Americans:
You know, I start tonight by congratulating the 118th Congress and the new Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy. (Applause.)
Speaker, I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you. (Laughter.)
And I want to congratulate the new Leader of the House Democrats, the first African American Minority Leader in history, Hakeem Jeffries. (Applause.)
He won despite the fact I campaigned for him. (Laughter.)
Congratulations to the longest-serving Leader in the history of the United States Senate, Mitch McConnell. Where are you, Mitch? (Applause.)
And congratulations to Chuck Schumer, another — you know, another term as Senate Minority [Majority] Leader. You know, I think you — only this time you have a slightly bigger majority, Mr. Leader. And you’re the Majority Leader. About that much bigger? (Laughter.) Yeah.
Well, I tell you what — I want to give specolec- — special recognition to someone who I think is going to be considered the greatest Speaker in the history of the House of Representatives: Nancy Pelosi. (Applause.)
Folks, the story of America is a story of progress and resilience, of always moving forward, of never, ever giving up. It’s a story unique among all nations.
We’re the only country that has emerged from every crisis we’ve ever entered stronger than we got into it.
Look, folks, that’s what we’re doing again.
Two years ago, the economy was reeling. I stand here tonight, after we’ve created, with the help of many people in this room, 12 million new jobs — more jobs created in two years than any President has created in four years — because of you all, because of the American people. (Applause.)
Two years ago — and two years ago, COVID had shut down — our businesses were closed, our schools were robbed of so much. And today, COVID no longer controls our lives.
And two years ago, our democracy faced its greatest threat since the Civil War. And today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken. (Applause.)
As we gather here tonight, we’re writing the next chapter in the great American story — a story of progress and resilience.
When world leaders ask me to define America — and they do, believe it or not — I say I can define it in one word, and I mean this: possibilities. We don’t think anything is beyond our capacity. Everything is a possibility.
You know, we’re often told that Democrats and Republicans can’t work together. But over the past two years, we proved the cynics and naysayers wrong.
Yes, we disagreed plenty. And yes, there were times when Democrats went alone.
But time and again, Democrats and Republicans came together. Came together to defend a stronger and safer Europe. You came together to pass one in a gen- — one-in-a-generation — once-in-a-generation infrastructure law building bridges connecting our nation and our people. We came together to pass one the most significant law ever helping victims exposed to toxic burn pits. And, in fact — (applause) — it’s important.
And, in fact, I signed over 300 bipartisan pieces of legislation since becoming President, from reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act to the Electoral Count Reform Act, the Respect for Marriage Act that protects the right to marry the person you love.
And to my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there’s no reason we can’t work together and find consensus on important things in this Congress as well. (Applause.)
I think — folks, you all are just as informed as I am, but I think the people sent us a clear message: Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict gets us nowhere.
That’s always been my vision of our country, and I know it’s many of yours: to restore the soul of this nation; to rebuild the backbone of America, America’s middle class; and to unite the country.
We’ve been sent here to finish the job, in my view.
For decades, the middle class has been hollowed out in more than — and not in one administration, but for a long time. Too many good-paying manufacturing jobs moved overseas. Factories closed down. Once-thriving cities and towns that many of you represent became shadows of what they used to be. And along the way, something else we lost: pride, our sense of self-worth.
I ran for President to fundamentally change things. To make sure the economy works for everyone so we can all feel that pride in what we do. To build an economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not from the top down. Because when the middle class does well, the poor have a ladder up and the wealthy still do very well. We all do well. (Applause.)
I know a lot of you always kid me for always quoting my dad. But my dad used to say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.” He really would say this. “It’s about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay’ and mean it.”
Well, folks, so let’s look at the results. We’re not finished yet, by any stretch of the imagination. But unemployment rate is at 3.4 percent –- a 50-year low. (Applause.) And near record — and near record unemployment — near record unemployment for Black and Hispanic workers.
We’ve already created, with your help, 800,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs — the fastest growth in 40 years. (Applause.)
And where is it written — where is it written that America can’t lead the world in manufacturing? And I don’t know where that’s written.
For too many decades, we imported projects and exported jobs. Now, thanks to what you’ve all done, we’re exporting American products and creating American jobs. (Applause.)
Folks, inflation — inflation has been a global problem because the pandemic dirup- — disrupted our supply chains, and Putin’s unfair and brutal war in Ukraine disrupted ener- — energy supplied as well as food supplies, blocking all that grain in Ukraine.
But we’re better positioned than any country on Earth right now. But we have more to do.
But here at home, inflation is coming down. Here at home, gas prices are down $1.50 from their peak.
Food inflation is coming down — not fast enough, but coming down.
Inflation has fallen every month for the last six months, while take-home pay has gone up.
Additionally, over the last two years, a record 10 million Americans applied to start new businesses. Ten million. (Applause.)
And, by the way, every time — every time someone starts a small business, it’s an act of hope.
And, Madam Vice President, I want to thank you for leading that effort to ensure that small businesses have access to capital and the historic laws we enacted that are going to just come into being.
Standing here last year, I shared with you a story of American genius and possibilities.
Semiconductors — small computer chips the size of a fingerprint that power everything from cellphones to automobiles and so much more. These chips were invented in America. Let’s get that straight: They were invented in America. (Applause.)
And we used to make 40 percent of the world’s chips. In the last several decades, we lost our edge. We’re down to only producing 10 percent.
We all saw what happened during the pandemic when chip factories shut down overseas.
Today’s automobiles need 3,000 chips — each of those automobiles — but American automobiles [automakers] couldn’t make enough cars because there weren’t enough chips.
Car prices went up. People got laid off. So did everything from refrigerators to cellphones.
We can never let that happen again.
That’s why — (applause) — that’s why we came together to pass the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act. (Applause.)
Folks, I know I’ve been criticized for saying this, but I’m not changing my view. We’re going to make sure the supply chain for America begins in America — the supply chain begins in America. (Applause.)
And we’ve already created — (applause) — we’ve already created 800,000 new manufacturing jobs without this law, before the law kicks in.
With this new law, we’re going to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs across the country. And I mean all across the country, throughout — not just the coast, but through the middle of the country as well.
That’s going to come from companies that have announced more than $300 billion in investments in American manufacturing over the next few years.
Outside of Columbus, Ohio, Intel is building semiconductor factories on a thousand acres — literally a field of dreams.
It’s going to create 10,000 jobs, that one investment; 7,000 construction jobs; 3,000 jobs in those factories once they’re finished. They call them factors. Jobs paying an average of $130,000 a year, and many do not require a college degree. (Applause.)
Jobs — because we worked together, these jobs where people don’t have to leave home to search for opportunity.
And it’s just getting started.
Think about the new homes, the small businesses, the big — the medium-sized businesses. So much more that’s going to be needed to support those three thou- — those 3,000 permanent jobs and the factories that are going to be built.
Talk to mayors and governors, Democrats and Republicans, and they’ll tell you what this means for their communities.
We’re seeing these fields of dreams transform the Heartland. But to maintain the strongest economy in the world, we need the best infrastructure in the world. (Applause.)
And, folks, as you all know, we used to be number one in the world in infrastructure. We’ve sunk to 13th in the world. The United States of America — 13th in the world in infrastructure, modern infrastructure.
But now we’re coming back because we came together and passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — the largest investment in infrastructure since President Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System. (Applause.)
Folks, already we’ve funded over 20,000 projects, including major airports from Boston to Atlanta to Portland — projects that are going to put thousands of people to work rebuilding our highways, our bridges, our railroads, our tunnels, ports, airports, clean water, high-speed Internet all across America — urban, rural, Tribal.
And, folks, we’re just getting started. We’re just getting started. (Applause.)
And I mean this sincerely: I want to thank my Republican friends who voted for the law. And my Republican friends who voted against it as well — but I’m still — I still get asked to fund the projects in those districts as well, but don’t worry. I promised I’d be a President for all Americans. We’ll fund these projects. And I’ll see you at the groundbreaking. (Applause.)
Look, this law — this law will further unite all of America.
Projects like the Brent Spence Bridge in Kentucky over the Ohio River. Built 60 years ago. Badly in need of repairs. One of the nation’s most congested freight routes, carrying $2 billion worth of freight every single day across the Ohio River.
And, folks, we’ve been talking about fixing it for decades, but we’re really finally going to get it done.
I went there last month with Democrats and Republicans in — from both states — to deliver a commitment of $1.6 billion for this project. (Applause.)
And while I was there, I met a young woman named Saria, who’s here tonight. I don’t know where Saria is. Is she up in the box? I don’t know. Saria, how are you? (Applause.)
Well, Saria — for 30 years — for 30 years — I learned — she told me she’d been a proud member of the Iron workers Local 44, known as — (applause) — known as the “Cowboys in the Sky” — (applause) — the folks who built — who built Cincinnati’s skyline.
Saria said she can’t wait to be 10 stories above the Ohio River building that new bridge. God bless her. (Laughter and applause.) That’s pride.
And that’s what we’re also building — we’re building back pride.
Look, we’re also replacing poisonous lead pipes that go into 10 million homes in America, 400,000 schools and childcare centers so every child in America — every child in American can drink the water, instead of having permanent damage to their brain. (Applause.)
Look, we’re making sure — (applause) — we’re making sure that every community — every community in America has access to affordable, high-speed Internet.
No parent should have to drive by a McDonald’s parking lot to help their — do their homework online with their kids, which many — thousands were doing across the country.
And when we do these projects — and, again, I get criticized about this, but I make no excuses for it — we’re going to buy American. (Applause.) We’re going to buy American.
Folks — (applause) — and it’s totally — it’s totally consistent with international trade rules. Buy American has been the law since 1933. But for too long, past administrations — Democrat and Republican — have fought to get around it. Not anymore.
Tonight, I’m also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infra- — infrastructure projects to be made in America. (Applause.) Made in America. I mean it. (Applause.) Lumber, glass, drywall, fiber-optic cable.
And on my watch, American roads, bridges, and American highways are going to be made with American products as well.
Folks, my economic plan is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten. So many of you listening tonight, I know you feel it. So many of you felt like you’ve just simply been forgotten. Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind and treated like they’re invisible.
Maybe that’s you, watching from home. You remember the jobs that went away. You remember them, don’t you?
The folks at home remember them. You wonder whether the path even exists anymore for your children to get ahead without having to move away.
Well, that’s why — I get that. That’s why we’re building an economy where no one is left behind.
Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of choices we made in the last several years.
You know, this is, in my view, a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives at home. (Applause.)
For example, too many of you lay in bed at night, like my dad did, staring at the ceiling, wondering what in God’s name happens if yo- — if your spouse gets cancer or your child gets deadly ill or if something happens to you. What are you going — are you going to have the money to pay for those medical bills? Are you going to have to sell the house or try to get a second mortgage on it?
I get it. I get it.
With the Inflation Reduction Act that I signed into law, we’re taking on powerful interests to bring healthcare costs down so you can sleep better at night with more security.
You know, we pay more for prescription drugs than any nation in the world. Let me say it again: We pay more for prescription drugs than any major nation on Earth.
For example, 1 in 10 Americans has diabetes. Many of you in this chamber do and in the audience. But every day, millions need insulin to control their diabetes so they can literally stay alive. Insulin has been around for over 100 years. The guy who invented it didn’t even patent it because he wanted it to be available for everyone.
It costs the drug companies roughly $10 a vial to make that insulin. Package it and all, you may get up to $13. But Big Pharma has been unfairly charging people hundreds of dollars — $4- to $500 a month — making rec- — record profits. Not anymore. (Applause.) Not anymore.
So — so many things that we did are only now coming to fruition. We said we were doing this and we said we’d pass the law to do it, but people didn’t know because the law didn’t take effect until January 1 of this year.
We capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors on Medicare. (Applause.) But people are just finding out. I’m sure you’re getting the same calls I’m getting.
Look, there are millions of other Americans who do not — are not on Medicare, including 200,000 young people with Type 1 diabetes who need these insulin — need this insulin to stay alive.
Let’s finish the job this time. Let’s cap the cost of insulin for everybody at $35. (Applause.)
Folks — and Big Pharma is still going to do very well, I promise you all. I promise you they’re going to do very well.
This law also — this law also caps — and it won’t even go into effect until 2025. It costs [caps] out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare at a maximum of $2,000 a year. You don’t have to pay more than $2,000 a year, no matter how much your drug costs are. Because you know why? You all know it. (Applause.)
Many of you, like many of my family, have cancer. You know the drugs can range from $10-, $11-, $14-, $15,000 for the cancer drugs.
And if drug prices rise faster than inflation, drug companies are going to have to pay Medicare back the difference. (Applause.)
And we’re finally — we’re finally giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. (Applause.)
Bringing down — bringing down prescription drug costs doesn’t just save seniors money, it cuts the federal deficit by billions of dollars — (applause) — by hundreds of billions of dollars because these prescription drugs are drugs purchased by Medicare to make — keep their commitment to the seniors.
Well, guess what? Instead of paying 4- or 500 bucks a month, you’re paying 15. That’s a lot of savings for the federal government.
And, by the way, why wouldn’t we want that?
Now, some members here are threatening — and I know it’s not an official party position, so I’m not going to exaggerate — but threatening to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. (Applause.)
As my coach — that’s okay. That’s fair. As my football coach used to say, “Lots of luck in your senior year.” (Laughter.)
Make no mistake, if you try anything to raise the cost of prescription drugs, I will veto it. (Applause.)
And, look, I’m pleased to say that more Americans health — have health insurance now than ever in history. A record 16 million people are enrolled in the Affordable Care Act. (Applause.)
And thanks — thanks to the law I signed last year, saving — millions are saving $800 a year on their premiums.
And, by the way, that law was written — and the benefit expires in 2025. So, my plea to some of you, at least in this audience: Let’s finish the job and make those savings permanent. (Applause.) Expand coverage on Medicaid. (Applause.)
Look, the Inflation Reduction Act is also the most significant investment ever in climate change — ever. (Applause.) Lowering utility bills, creating American jobs, leading the world to a clean energy future.
I visited the devastating aftermath of record floods, droughts, storms, and wildfires from Arizona to New Mexico to all the way up to the Canadian border.
More timber has been burned that I’ve observed from helicopters than the entire state of Missouri. And we don’t have global warming? Not a problem.
In addition to emergency recovery from Puerto Rico to Florida to Idaho, we’re rebuilding for the long term.
New electric grids that are able to weather major storms and not — prevent those fire — forest fires. Roads and water systems to withstand the next big flood. Clean energy to cut pollution and create jobs in communities often left behind.
We’re going to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, installed across the country by tens of thousands of IBEW workers. (Applause.)
And we’re helping families save more than $1,000 a year with tax credits to purchase of electric vehicles and efficient — and efficient appliances — energy-efficient appliances.
Historic conservation efforts to be responsible stewards of our land.
Let’s face reality. The climate crisis doesn’t care if you’re in a red or a blue state. It’s an existential threat.
We have an obligation not to ourselves, but to our children and grandchildren to confront it.
I’m proud of how the — how America, at last, is stepping up to the challenge. We’re still going to need oil and gas for a while, but guess what — (applause) — no, we do — but there’s so much more to do. We got to finish the job.
And we pay for these investments in our future by finally making the wealthiest and biggest corporations begin to pay their fair share. (Applause.) Just begin.
Look, I’m a capitalist. I’m a capitalist. But pay your fair share.
I think a lot of you at home — a lot of you at home agree with me and many people that you know: The tax system is not fair. It is not fair. (Applause.)
Look, the idea that in 2020, 55 of the largest corporations in America, the Fortune 500, made $40 billion in profits and paid zero in federal taxes? Zero.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: Folks, it’s simply not fair.
But now, because of the law I signed, billion-dollar companies have to pay a minimum of 15 percent. God love them. (Applause.) Fifteen percent. That’s less than a nurse pays. (Applause.)
Let me be crystal clear. I said at the very beginning: Under my plans, as long as I’m President, nobody earning less than $400,000 will pay an additional penny in taxes. Nobody. Not one penny. (Applause.)
But let’s finish the job. There’s more to do. (Applause.)
We have to reward work, not just wealth. Pass my proposal for the billionaire minimum tax. (Applause.) You know, there’s a thousand billionaires in America — it’s up from about 600 at the beginning of my term — but no billionaire should be paying a lower tax rate than a school teacher or a firefighter. (Applause.) No, I mean it. Think about it.
I mean, look, I know you all aren’t enthusiastic about that, but think about it. Think about it.
Have you noticed — Big Oil just reported its profits. Record profits. Last year, they made $200 billion in the midst of a global energy crisis. I think it’s outrageous.
Why? They invested too little of that profit to increase domestic production. And when I talked to a couple of them, they say, “We were afraid you were going to shut down all the oil wells and all the oil refineries anyway, so why should we invest in them?” I said, “We’re going to need oil for at least another decade, and that’s going to exceed…” — (laughter) — and beyond that. We’re going to need it. Production.
If they had, in fact, invested in the production to keep gas prices down — instead they used the record profits to buy back their own stock, rewarding their CEOs and shareholders.
Corporations ought to do the right thing.
That’s why I propose we quadruple the tax on corporate stock buybacks and encourage long- — (applause) — long-term investments. They’ll still make considerable profit.
Let’s finish the job and close the loopholes that allow the very wealthy to avoid paying their taxes.
Instead of cutting the number of audits for wealthy taxpayers, I just signed a law to reduce the deficit by $114 billion by cracking down on wealthy tax cheats. (Applause.) That’s being fiscally responsible.
In the last two years, my administration has cut the deficit by more than $1.7 trillion –- the largest deficit reduction in American history. (Applause.)
Under the previous administration, the American deficit went up four years in a row.
Because of those record deficits, no President added more to the national debt in any four years than my predecessor.
Nearly 25 percent of the entire national debt that took over 200 years to accumulate was added by just one administration alone — the last one. They’re the facts. Check it out. Check it out.
How did Congress respond to that debt? They did the right thing. They lifted the debt ceiling three times without preconditions or crisis. (Applause.) They paid the American bill to prevent an economic disaster of the country.
So, tonight I’m asking the Congress to follow suit. (Applause.) Let us commit here tonight that the full faith and credit of the United States of America will never, ever be questioned.
So my — many of — some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage — I get it — unless I agree to their economic plans. All of you at home should know what those plans are.
Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans — some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I’m not saying it’s a majority —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: Let me give you —
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: Anybody who doubts it, contact my office. I’ll give you a copy. I’ll give you a copy of the proposal.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Liar!
THE PRESIDENT: That means Congress doesn’t vote —
Well, I’m glad to see — no, I tell you, I enjoy conversion. (Laughter.)
You know, it means if Congress doesn’t keep the programs the way they are, they’d go away.
Other Republicans say — I’m not saying it’s a majority of you. I don’t even think it’s a significant —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: — but it’s being proposed by individuals.
I’m not — politely not naming them, but it’s being proposed by some of you.
(Cross-talk in the audience.)
THE PRESIDENT: Look, folks, the idea is that we’re not going to be — we’re not going to be moved into being threatened to default on the debt if we don’t respond. (Applause.)
Folks — (applause) — so, folks, as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the — off the books now, right? (Applause.) They’re not to be touched? (Applause.)
All right. All right. We got unanimity! (Applause.)
Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors. Americans have to pay into them from the very first paycheck they’ve started.
So, tonight, let’s all agree — and we apparently are — let’s stand up for seniors. (Applause.) Stand up and show them we will not cut Social Security. We will not cut Medicare.
Those benefits belong to the American people. They earned it. And if anyone tries to cut Social Security — which apparently no one is going to do — (laughter and applause) — and if anyone tries to cut Medicare, I’ll stop them. I’ll veto it. (Applause.)
And, look, I’m not going to allow them to take away — be taken away. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
But apparently, it’s not going to be a problem. (Laughter and applause.)
Next month, when I offer my fiscal plan, I ask my Republican friends to lay down their plan as well. I really mean it. Let’s sit down together and discuss our mutual plans together. (Applause.) Let’s do that.
I can tell you, the plan I’m going to show you is going to cut the deficit by another $2 trillion. And it won’t cut a single bit of Medicare or Social Security.
In fact, we’re going to extend the Medicare Trust Fund at least two decades, because that’s going to be the next argument: how do we make — keep it solvent. Right?
Well, I will not raise taxes on anyone making under 400 grand. But we’ll pay for it the way we talked about tonight: by making sure that the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share. (Applause.)
Look — look, look, here’s — here’s the deal. They aren’t just taking advantage of the tax code, they’re taking advantage of you, the American consumer.
Here’s my message to all of you out there: I have your back. We’re already preventing Americans who are [from] receiving surprise medical bills, stopping 1 billion dollar [1 million] surprise bills per month so far. (Applause.)
We’re protecting seniors’ life savings by cracking down on nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety, or prescribe drugs that are not needed.
Millions of Americans can now save thousands of dollars because they can finally get a hearing aid over the counter without a prescription. (Applause.)
Look, capitalism without competition is not capitalism. It’s extortion. It’s exploitation.
Last year, I cracked down, with the help of many of you, on foreign shipping companies that were making you pay higher prices for every good coming into the country.
I signed a bipartisan bill that cut shipping costs by 90 percent, helping American farmers, businessmen, and consumers.
Let’s finish the job. Pass the bipartisan legislation to strengthen and — to strengthen antitrust enforcement and forbeg- — and prevent big online platforms from giving their own products an unfair advantage. (Applause.)
My administration is also taking on junk fees, those hidden surcharges too many companies use to make you pay more.
For example, we’re making airlines show you the full ticket price upfront, refund your money if your flight is cancelled or delayed. We’ve reduced exorbitant bank overdrafts by saving consumers more than $1 billion a year. (Applause.)
We’re cutting credit card late fees by 75 percent, from $30 to $8. (Applause.)
Look, junk fees may not matter to the very wealthy, but they matter to most other folks in homes like the one I grew up in, like many of you did. They add up to hundreds of dollars a month. They make it harder for you to pay your bills or afford that family trip.
I know how unfair it feels when a company overcharges you and gets away with it. Not anymore.
We’ve written a bill to stop it all. It’s called the Junk Fee Prevention Act. We’re going to ban surprise resort fees that hotels charge on your bill. Those fees can cost you up to $90 a night at hotels that aren’t even resorts. (Laughter and applause.)
We — the idea that cable, Internet, and cellphone companies can charge you $200 or more if you decide to switch to another provider. Give me a break. (Applause.)
We can stop service fees on tickets to concerts and sporting events and make companies disclose all the fees upfront.
And we’ll prohibit airlines from charging $50 roundtrip for a family just to be able to sit together. Baggage fees are bad enough. Airlines can’t treat your child like a piece of baggage. (Applause.)
Americans are tired of being — we’re tired of being played for suckers.
So pass — pass the Junk Fee Prevention Act so companies stop ripping us off.
For too long, workers have been getting stiffed, but not anymore. We’re going to be — we’re beginning to restore the dignity of work.
For example, I — I should have known this, but I didn’t until two years ago: Thirty million workers have to sign non-compete agreements for the jobs they take. Thirty million. So a cashier at a burger place can’t walk across town and take the same job at another burger place and make a few bucks more.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: It just changed. Well, they just changed it because we exposed it. That was part of the deal, guys. Look it up. But not anymore.
We’re banning those agreements so companies have to compete for workers and pay them what they’re worth. (Applause.)
And I must tell you, this is bound to get a response from my friends on my left, with the right.
I’m so sick and tired of companies breaking the law by preventing workers from organizing. Pass the PRO Act! (Applause.) Because businesses have a right — workers have a right to form a union. And let’s guarantee all workers have a living wage.
Let’s make sure working parents can afford to raise a family with sick days, paid family and medical leave, affordable childcare. (Applause.) That’s going to enable millions of more people to go and stay at work.
And let’s restore the full Child Tax Credit — (applause) — which gave tens of millions of parents some breathing room and cut child poverty in half to the lowest level in history.
And, by the way, when we do all of these things, we increase productivity, we increase economic growth.
So let’s finish the job and get more families access to affordable, quality housing.
Let’s get seniors who want to stay in their homes the care they need to do so. Let’s give more breathing room to millions of family caregivers looking after their loved ones.
Pass my plan so we get seniors and people with disabilities the home care services they need — (applause) — and support the workers who are doing God’s work.
These plans are fully paid for, and we can afford to do them.
Restoring the dignity of work means making education an affordable ticket to the middle class.
You know, when we made public education — 12 years of it — universal in the last century, we made the best-educated, best-paid — we became the best-education, best-paid nation in the world.
But the rest of the world has caught up. It has caught up.
Jill, my wife, who teaches full-time, has an expression. I hope I get it right, kid. (Laughter.) “Any nation that out-educates is going to out-compete us.” Any nation that out-educates is going to out-compete us.
Folks, we all know 12 years of education is not enough to win the economic competition of the 21st century. (Applause.) If we want to have the best-educated workforce, let’s finish the job by providing access to preschool for three and four years old. Studies show that children who go to preschool are nearly 50 percent more likely to finish high school and go on to earn a two- or four-year degree, no matter their background they came from.
Let’s give public school teachers a raise. (Applause.)
We’re making progress by reducing student debt, increasing Pell Grants for working and middle-class families.
Let’s finish the job and connect students to career opportunities starting in high school, provide access to two years of community college — the best career training in America, in addition to being a pathway to a four-year degree. (Applause.)
Let’s offer every American a path to a good career, whether they go to college or not. (Applause.)
And, folks — folks, in the midst of the COVID crisis, when schools were closed and we were shutting down everything, let’s recognize how far we came in the fight against the pandemic itself.
While the virus is not gone, thanks to the resilience of the American people and the ingenuity of medicine, we’ve broken the COVID grip on us.
COVID deaths are down by 90 percent. We’ve saved millions of lives and opened up our country — we opened our country back up. And soon, we’ll end the public health emergency. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: But — that’s called a public health emergency.
But we’ll remember the toll and pain that’s never going to go away. More than a million Americans lost their lives to COVID. A million. Families grieving. Children orphaned. Empty chairs at the dining room table constantly reminding you that she used to sit there. Remembering them, we remain vigilant.
We still need to monitor dozens of variants and support new vaccines and treatments. So Congress needs to fund these efforts and keep America safe.
And as we emerge from this crisis stronger, we’re also — got to double down prosecuting criminals who stole relief money meant to keep workers and small businesses afloat. (Applause.)
Before I came to office, you remember, during that campaign, the big issue was about inspector generals who would protect taxpayers’ dollars, who were sidelined. They were fired. Many people said, “We don’t need them.” And fraud became rampant.
Last year, I told you the watchdogs are back. Since then — since then, we’ve recovered billions of taxpayers’ dollars.
Now let’s triple the anti-fraud strike force going after these criminals, double the statute of limitations on these crimes, and crack down on identity fraud by criminal syndicates stealing billions of dollars — billions of dollars from the American people. (Applause.)
And the data shows that for every dollar we put into fighting fraud, the taxpayer will get back at least 10 times as much. It matters. It matters.
Look, COVID left its scars, like the spike in violent crime in 2020 — the first year of the pandemic. We have an obligation to make sure all people are safe.
Public safety depends on public trust, as all of us know. But too often, that trust is violated.
Joining us tonight are the parents of Tyre Nichols –welcome — (applause) — who had to bury Tyre last week.
As many of you personally know, there’s no words to describe the heartache or grief of losing a child. But imagine — imagine if you lost that child at the hands of the law. Imagine having to worry whether your son or daughter came home from walking down the street or playing in the park or just driving a car.
Most of us in here have never had to have “the talk” — “the talk” — that brown and Black parents have had to have with their children.
Beau, Hunter, Ashley — my children — I never had to have the talk with them. I never had to tell them, “If a police officer pulls you over, turn your interior lights on right away. Don’t reach for your license. Keep your hands on the steering wheel.”
Imagine having to worry like that every single time your kid got in a car.
Here’s what Tyre’s mother shared with me when I spoke to her, when I asked her how she finds the courage to carry on and speak out. With the faith of God, she said her son was, quote, “a beautiful soul” and “something good will come of this.”
Imagine how much courage and character that takes.
It’s up to us, to all of us. We all want the same thing: neighborhoods free of violence, law enfircement [sic] — law enforcement who earns the community’s trust. Just as every cop, when they pin on that badge in the morning, has a right to be able to go home at night, so does everybody else out there. (Applause.) Our children have a right to come home safely.
Equal protection under the law is a covenant we have with each other in America. (Applause.)
We know police officers put their lives on the line every single night and day. And we know we ask them, in many cases, to do too much — to be counselors, social workers, psychologists — responding to drug overdoses, mental health crises, and so much more. In one sense, we ask much too much of them.
I know most cops and their families are good, decent, honorable people — the vast majority. (Applause.) And they risk — and they risk their lives every time they put that shield on.
But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better. Give law enforcement the real training they need. Hold them to higher standards. Help them to succeed in keeping them safe.
We also need more first responders and professionals to address the growing mental health, substance abuse challenges. (Applause.) More resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime. More community intervention programs. More investments in housing, education, and job training. (Applause.) All this can help prevent violence in the first place.
And when police officers or police departments violate the public trust, they must be held accountable. (Applause.)
With the support — (applause) — with the support of families of victims, civil rights groups, and law enforcement, I signed an executive order for all federal officers, banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act.
Let’s commit ourselves to make the words of Tyler’s [Tyre’s] mom true: Something good must come from this. (Applause.) Something good.
And all of us — all of us — (applause) — folks, it’s difficult, but it’s simple: All of us in the cha- — in this chamber, we need to rise to this moment. We can’t turn away. Let’s do what we know in our hearts that we need to do. Let’s come together to finish the job on police reform. Do something. Do something.
That was the plea of parents who lost their children in Uvalde — I met with every one of them — “Do something about gun violence.” (Applause.) Thank God — thank God we did, passing the most sweeping gun safety law in three decades. (Applause.)
That includes things like — that the majority of responsible gun owners already support: enhanced background checks for 18- to 21 years old, red-flag laws keeping guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves and others. (Applause.)
But we know our work is not done. Joining us tonight is Brandon Tsay, a 26-year-old hero.
Brandon put his college dreams on hold — (applause) — to be at his mom’s side — his mom’s side when she was dying from cancer. (Applause.) And Brandon — Brandon now works at the dance studio started by his grandparents.
And two weeks ago, during the Lunar New Year celebrations, he heard the studio door close, and he saw a man standing there pointing a semi-automatic pistol at him. He thought he was going to die, but he thought about the people inside.
In that instant, he found the courage to act and wrestled the semi-automatic pistol away from the gunman who had already killed 11 people in another dance studio. Eleven.
He saved lives. It’s time we do the same.
Ban assault weapons now! (Applause.) Ban them now! Once and for all. (Applause.)
I led the fight to do that in 1994. And in 10 years that ban was law, mass shootings went down. After we let it expire in a Republican administration, mass shootings tripled.
Let’s finish the job and ban these assault weapons.
And let’s also come together on immigration. (Applause.) Make it a bipartisan issue once again.
We know — we now have a record number of personnel working to secure the border, arresting 8,000 human smugglers, seizing over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl in just the last several months. (Applause.)
We’ve launched a new border plan last month. Unlawful migration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela has come down 97 percent as a consequence of that.
But American border problems won’t be fixed until Congress acts. If we don’t pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border — (applause) — and a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers, those on temporary status, farmworkers, essential workers.
Here in the People’s House, it’s our duty to protect all the people’s rights and freedoms. Congress must restore the right and —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Secure the border!
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible) border!
(Cross-talk from the audience.)
THE PRESIDENT: Congress must restore the right that was taken away in Roe v. Wade — and protect Roe v. Wade. (Applause.) Give every woman the constitutional right.
The Vice President and I are doing everything to protect access to reproductive healthcare and safeguard patient safety. But already, more than a dozen states are enforcing extreme abortion bans.
Make no mistake about it: If Congress passes a national ban, I will veto it. (Applause.)
But let’s also pass — let’s also pass the bipartisan Equality Act to ensure LBG- — LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity. (Applause.)
Our strength — our strength is not just the example of our power, but the power of our example. Let’s remember, the world is watching.
I spoke from this chamber one year ago, just days after Vladimir Putin unleashed his brutal attack against Ukraine, a murderous assault, evoking images of death and destruction Europe suffered in World War Two.
Putin’s invasion has been a test for the ages — a test for America, a test for the world. Would we stand for the most basic of principles? Would we stand for sovereignty? Would we stand for the right of people to live free of tyranny? Would we stand for the defense of democracy? (Applause.) For such defense matters to us because it keeps peace and prevents open season on would-be aggressors that threatens our prosperity. (Applause.)
One year later, we know the answer. Yes, we would. And we did. We did. (Applause.)
And together, we did what America always does at our best. We led. We united NATO. We built a global coalition. We stood against Putin’s aggression. We stood with the Ukrainian people.
Tonight, we’re once again joined by Ukrainians’ Ambassador to the United States. She represents not her — just her nation but the courage of her people. Ambassador is — our Ambassador is here, united in our — we’re united in our support of your country.
Will you stand so we can all take a look at you? (Applause.) Thank you. Because we’re going to stand with you as long as it takes. (Applause.)
Our nation is working for more freedom, more dignity, and more — more peace, not just in Europe, but everywhere.
Before I came to office, the story was about how the People’s Republic of China was increasing its power and America was failing in the world. Not anymore.
We made clear and I made clear in my personal conversations, which have been many, with President Xi that we seek competition, not conflict. But I will make no apologies that we’re investing and — to make America stronger.
Investing in American innovation and industries that will define the future that China intends to be dominating.
Investing in our alliances and working with our allies to protect advanced technologies so they will not be used against us.
Modernizing our military to safeguard stability and determine — deter aggression.
Today, we’re in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world. Anyone else in the world. (Applause.)
And I’m committed — I’m committed to work with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world. But make no mistake about it: As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did. (Applause.)
Look, let’s be clear: Winning the competition should unite all of us.
We face serious challenges across the world. But in the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker. Autocracies have grown weaker, not stronger.
Name me a world leader who’d change places with Xi Jinping. Name me one. Name me one.
America is rallying the world to meet those challenges — from climate to global health to food insecurity to terrorism to territorial aggression.
Allies are stepping up, spending more, and doing more. Look, the bridges we’re forming between partners in the Pacific and those in the Atlantic. And those who bet against America are learning how wrong they are. It’s never, ever been a good bet to bet against America. Never. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: Well —
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: When I came to office, most assured that bipartisanship — assumed — was impossible. But I never believed it. That’s why a year ago, I offered a Unity Agenda to the nation as I stood here.
We made real progress together.
We passed the law making it easier for doctors to prescribe effective treatments for opioid addiction. (Applause.)
We passed the gun safety law, making historic investments in mental health.
We launched the ARPA-H drive for breakthroughs in the fight against cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes, and so much more. (Applause.)
We passed the Heath Robinson PACT Act, named after the late Iraq War veteran whose story about exposure to toxic burn pits I shared here last year. (Applause.)
And I understand something about those burn pits.
But there is so much more to do. And we can do it together.
Joining us tonight is a father named Doug from Newton, New Hampshire. He wrote Jill, my wife, a letter — and me as well — about his courageous daughter, Courtney. A contagious laugh. His sister’s best friend — her sister’s best friend.
He shared a story all too familiar to millions of Americans and many of you in the audience. Courtney discovered pills in high school. It spiraled into addiction and eventually death from a fentanyl overdose. She was just 20 years old.
Describing the last eight years without her, Doug said, “There is no worse pain.” Yet, their family has turned pain into purpose, working to end the stigma and change laws. He told us he wants to “start a journey towards American recovery.”
Doug, we’re with you. Fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans a year. Big —
(Cross-talk in the audience.)
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Order!
THE PRESIDENT: Big — you got it.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible) China!
AUDIENCE MEMBER: It’s your fault!
THE PRESIDENT: So let’s launch a major surge to stop fentanyl production and the sale and trafficking. With more drug detection machines, inspection cargo, stop pills and powder at the border. (Applause.) Working with couriers, like FedEx, to inspect more packages for drugs. Strong penalties to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. (Applause.)
Second, let’s do more on mental health, especially for our children. When millions of young people are struggling with bullying, violence, trauma, we owe them greater access to mental health care at their schools.
We must finally hold social media companies accountable for experimenting they’re doing — running [on] children for profit. (Applause.)
And it’s time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on kids and teenagers online, ban targeted advertising to children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data that companies collect on all of us.
Third, let’s do more to keep this nation’s one fully sacred obligation: to equip those we send into harm’s way and care for them and their families when they come home.
Job training, job placement for veterans and their spouses as they come to — return to civilian life. Helping veterans to afford their rent, because no one should be homeless in America, especially someone who served the country. (Applause.)
Denis McDoungin [sic] — Denis McDonough is here, of the VA. We had our first real discussion when I asked him to take the job. I’m glad he did. We were losing up to 25 veterans a day on suicide. Now we’re losing 17 a day to the silent scourge of suicide. Seventeen veterans a day are committing suicide, more than all the people being killed in the wars.
Folks, VA — VA is doing everything it can, including expanding mental health screening, proven programs that recruits veterans to help other veterans understand what they’re going through, get them the help they need. We got to do more.
And fourth, last year, Jill and I reignited the Cancer Moonshot that I was able to start with, and President Obama asked me to lead our administration on this issue.
Our goal is to cut the cancer death rates at least by 50 percent in the next 25 years, turn more cancers from death sentences to treatable diseases, provide more support for patients and their families.
It’s personal to so many of us — so many of us in this audience.
Joining us are Maurice and Kandice, an Irishman and a daughter of immigrants from Panama. They met and fell in love in New York City and got married in the same chapel as Jill and I got married in New York City. Kindred spirits.
He wrote us a letter about his little daughter, Ava. And I saw her just before I came over. She was just a year old when she was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease — cancer. After 26 blood transfusions, 11 rounds of radiation, 8 rounds of cheno [sic] — chemo, 1 kidney removed, given a 5 percent survival rate.
He wrote how, in the darkest moments, he thought, “If she goes, I can’t stay.”
Many of you have been through that as well. Jill and I understand that, like so many of you.
And he read Jill’s book describing our family’s cancer journey and how we tried to steal moments of joy where we could with Beau.
For them, that glimmer of joy was the half-smile of their baby girl. It meant everything to them. They never gave up hope, and little Ava never gave up hope. She turns four next month. (Applause.)
They just found out Ava is beating the odds and is on her way to being cured of cancer. And she’s watching from the White House tonight, if she’s not asleep already. (Applause.)
For the lives we can save — for the lives we can save and the lives we have lost, let this be a truly American moment that rallies the country and the world together and prove that we can still do big things. .Twenty years ago, under the leadership of President Bush and countless advocates and champions, he undertook a bipartisan effort through PEPFAR to transform the global fight against HIV/AIDS. It’s been a huge success. (Applause.) He thought big. He thought large. He moved! (Applause.)
I believe we can do the same thing with cancer. Let’s end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all.
Folks, there’s one reason why we’ve been able to do all of these things: our democracy itself. It’s the most fundamental thing of all. With democracy, everything is possible. Without it, nothing is.
Over the last few years, our democracy has been threatened and attacked, put at risk — put to the test in this very room on January the 6th.
And then, just a few months ago, an unhinged Big Lie assailant unleashed a political violence at the home of the then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, using the very same language the insurrectionists used as they stalked these halls and chanted on January 6th.
Here tonight, in this chamber, is the man who bears the scars of that brutal attack but is as tough and as strong and as resilient as they get: my friend, Paul Pelosi. Paul, stand up. (Applause.)
But such a heinous act should have never happened. We must all speak out. There is no place for political violence in America.
We have to protect the right to vote, not suppress the — that fundamental right. Honor the results of our elections, not subvert the will of the people. We have to uphold the rule of the law and restore trust in our institutions of democracy. And we must give hate and extremism in any form no safe harbor. (Applause.)
Democracy must not be a partisan issue. It’s an American issue.
Every generation of Americans have faced a moment where they have been called to protect our democracy, defend it, stand up for it. And this is our moment.
My fellow Americans, we meet tonight at an inflection point, one of those moments that only a few generations ever face, where the direction we now take is going to decide the course of this nation for decades to come.
We’re not bystanders of history. We’re not powerless before the forces that confront us. It’s within our power of We the People.
We’re facing the test of our time. We have to be the nation we’ve always been at our best: optimistic, hopeful, forward-looking. A nation that embraces light over dark, hope over fear, unity over division, stability over chaos.
We have to see each other not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. We’re a good people. (Applause.) The only nation in the world built on an idea — the only one. Other nations are defined by geography, ethnicity, but we’re the only nation based on an idea that all of us, every one of us, is created equal in the image of God. A nation that stands as a beacon to the world. A nation in a new age of possibilities.
So I have come to fulfill my constitutional obligation to report on the state of the Union. And here is my — my report: Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backboken [sic] — backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the state of the Union is strong. (Applause.)
I’m not new to this place. I stand here tonight having served as long as about any one of you who have ever served here. (Laughter.) But I’ve never been more optimistic about our future — about the future of America.
We just have to remember who we are. We’re the United States of America. And there’s nothing — nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together. (Applause.)
God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. Thank you. (Applause.)
(FAIRFAX, Va.) — Getting to America was supposed to be the hard part.
Now, for thousands of Afghan allies who evacuated alongside U.S. troops, staying in the country is proving to be just as harrowing.
More than 18 months after nearly 76,000 Afghan refugees arrived on military planes, Congress has failed to create a path to legal permanent residency. Temporary immigration status, known as “humanitarian parole,” is set to expire for most evacuees this summer.
“This is life or death for anybody involved,” said U.S. Navy pilot and Afghan war vet Jack McCain, son of the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, who has been advocating a solution for Afghans in the U.S.
Many of the refugees worked with U.S. forces as interpreters and support staff or as allies in civil society over the two decades of America’s longest war. All received screening and processing at military bases before being resettled.
“To do nothing is to give people not just uncertainty but the worry that they are going to get deported, and they cannot then make stable or sustainable lives in the U.S.,” McCain said.
After the Vietnam and Iraq Wars and other conflicts prompting emergency evacuations, the U.S. government extended temporary immigration status to refugees since the ordinary visa process would take too long.
In those cases, Congress subsequently passed bipartisan legislation to create a pathway to green cards for those special classes of immigrants.
“These are our allies. They worked alongside the U.S. military. They worked at the U.S. embassy. They may have worked in the development space advocating for U.S. or western values like gender equality or a free press,” said Krish Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which has helped resettle 14,000 Afghan evacuees.
“Right now they’re facing a ticking time clock,” said Vignarajah, who is a former senior State Department adviser.
The uncertainty has stoked anxiety among many Afghan evacuee families, who have been grappling with a stark cultural transition, financial instability and concerns over extended family still overseas living under Taliban rule.
“They are so worried and they are nervous,” said Negin Khpalwak, an Afghan refugee living in Virginia. Afghanistan’s first female music conductor, Khpalwak was approved for asylum late last year along with her husband Hamid and their two-year-old daughter.
“Even their families in Afghanistan, they’re in danger. So they are worried about them,” she said of other refugee families without permanent residency. “There should be some way that they can bring their families and they can stay here.”
Abdul, a former interpreter for U.S. Marines, who asked to withhold his last name over security concerns, is rebuilding a life in northern Virginia with his wife, Lima, and three daughters.
After a harrowing journey out of Kabul, facilitated in part by ABC News, the family was approved for Special Immigrant Visas and permanent U.S. residency. Adbul now works as director of safety and security at a Hilton hotel while Lima is a preschool teacher at a local daycare.
“We made a lot of sacrifices for the U.S. and for the U.S. government, for the U.S. nation. And we deserve to be residents of the USA,” Abdul said in an interview at his home. “I know a lot of people want to help us. But we don’t want gift cards, we don’t want food. Just send the Congress letters about the Afghan Adjustment Act that we need it.”
The Afghan Adjustment Act, introduced last year by a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, would provide a pathway to U.S. residency for evacuees and their families; require an additional round of security screening, including in-person interviews with U.S. officials; and, expand efforts to help those Afghan allies left behind during the chaotic military withdrawal.
“Flying and fighting alongside Afghan pilots was one of the great honors of my life, and I truly believe I am still vertical on this earth because of many of their efforts,” said McCain.
“I fail to understand what the hold-up is with the Act,” he added, “except for the lack of political will.”
Several key Republican critics of the bill say the sticking point is security.
The Department of Homeland Security inspector general last year found that many evacuees were not properly vetted. At least two resettled Afghans “may have posed a risk to national security and the safety of local communities” and were subsequently removed from the U.S., according to the IG report.
“My issue is that folks need to be properly vetted. We need to go through the process. It should include in-person interviews,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told ABC News.
“We should absolutely come to some agreement on tighter security,” he said.
Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who led efforts to block passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act late last year, has also said the measure is too broad, extending protection to evacuees beyond those “who were our partners over the last 20 years.”
The bill’s sponsors, immigrant advocates and a coalition of current and former military leaders say security screening requirements in order to get a green card would meet or exceed those applied to all other refugees admitted to the country.
They also point out that Congress would be briefed on details of the screening process before it could be set in motion.
“The investigation of these Afghan refugees is to a greater extent that virtually any level of immigration in the U.S.,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told ABC News.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said further delay in creating a pathway to legal status for the Afghan refugees risks compounding trauma and tragedy for allies.
“I think we owe it to all those folks who helped us for all those years to try to give them a home,” Graham told ABC News, “because they certainly can’t go back to Afghanistan.”
Nearly three-in-four Americans said they support resettlement of Afghan allies in the U.S., according to an Associated Press-NORC poll taken shortly after the military withdrawal.
For the Khpalwak family, fear of displacement again — and potentially a forced return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule — remains unsettling. Their asylum status only lasts 5 years.
“What will happen after a year? What will happen after two years? My family is in danger in Afghanistan. My husband’s family is in danger in Afghanistan. They are musicians; they’re artists; and, they have to come here,” Negin Khpalwak said. “We have to be a voice for them.”
(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) — A new Missouri bill takes Florida’s controversial Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law, even further.
The bill says that “no nurse, counselor, teacher, principal, contracted personnel, or other administrative official at a public or charter school shall discuss gender identity or sexual orientation with a minor student” unless they’re a licensed mental health care provider and have a guardian’s permission.
The Missouri bill goes further than the Florida law, which restricts classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity through kindergarten to grade 3, by not specifying an age group and explicitly barring discussions on these topics.
The bill has already earned backlash from LGBTQ rights organizations and allies. They say the bill has the potential to erase books or lessons about LGBTQ people from classrooms and marginalizes LGBTQ students and faculty.
“The recent ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill that passed in Florida was step one in erasing conversations about gender identity and sexual orientation within grade school curriculum,” PROMO Missouri, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, said in a statement. “Missouri is taking the next giant leap by aiming to stop faculty, staff, and students from talking about these and related topics at all.”
The Missouri Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee held a hearing Tuesday on Republican state Sen. Mike Moon’s proposed legislation, however committee members did not vote. PROMO Missouri protested the Tuesday hearing.
Supporters of these bills say these restrictions give parents more of a say about what their kids learn in classrooms.
Moon’s office did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Moon said the bill is “hoping to not spur the conversations, or just stay away from it altogether” and he is “hopeful” it won’t interfere with content about history, social studies and other subjects, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
Some school districts in Florida have removed books and changed curriculums in the wake of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, as well as the “Stop WOKE” law that restricts certain race-related content.
The Missouri bill coincides with the introduction of another bill from Moon that would ban transgender girls from participating in girl’s sports and would cut funding to any school that allows it.
Similar bills have been proposed in Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana and other Republican-led states.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday delivered his second State of the Union address, balancing a push for bipartisanship in a divided Washington and advocacy for his own policies heading into next year’s election.
Standing in front of Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. — a visual reminder of the back-and-forth in store for at least the next two years — Biden drew applause lines for pleas for cooperation and heckles over thrown elbows for Republican policies.
A victory lap, but pleas for cooperation
Biden started the speech with his version of a victory lap, touting surprisingly strong job growth and a string of legislative achievements as well as continued consensus in supporting Ukraine against Russia. He also noted Democrats in November expanded their majority in the Senate.
“Unemployment rate at 3.4%, a 50-year low. Near record unemployment for Black and Hispanic workers,” he said. “We’ve already created, with your help, 800,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs, the fastest growth in 40 years.”
But throughout his speech, Biden repeatedly said that the country’s accomplishments were achieved with “your help” — ad libs that were not included in his prepared remarks — and insisted that he looked forward to working with Republicans.
“Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working together,” he said at the top of his speech.
Biden went on to boast of 300 bipartisan laws that he signed, maintaining that more could be on the way — if the House, under new GOP management, would work with him despite conservatives campaigning on being a check on what they said was a reckless, dangerous administration.
“To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together and find consensus on important things in this new Congress,” he said. “The people sent us a clear message: Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere.”
Still, heckles throughout
Despite Biden’s calls for bonhomie — and jovial moments like him FaceTiming with a congressman’s baby son at home after his speech — the president was heckled throughout his remarks.
Biden, reprising an attack line employed in recent months, accused Republicans of seeking to cut funds for Social Security and Medicare, seeming to pin the accusation on a plan released by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., that would sunset all federal funding after five years and make money for the program repeatedly subject to renewal.
However, McCarthy has said such cuts are “off the table” as they negotiate on lifting the debt ceiling, sparking a wave of boos and Republicans asking for Biden to name the people pushing for the cuts.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a populist firebrand, was heard calling Biden a liar — a callback to a similar accusation leveled at former President Barack Obama during one of his congressional speeches that marked a sharp break of that era’s rules of decorum.
“I will not allow them to be taken away,” Biden said of the programs after the uproar, with Republicans saying that’s not going to be a problem.
Elbows were also thrown when Biden discussed the opioid crisis, with one Republican shouting “it’s your fault” when he lamented the spread of fentanyl.
Biden also took jabs of his own, saying that Republicans on the campaign trail have been boasting of the benefits of the bipartisan infrastructure law they opposed.
“To my Republican friends who voted against it but still ask to fund projects in their districts, don’t worry,” Biden said, joking that money would still go to areas they represent.
Pushing for his agenda in the new Congress — and new election cycle
Besides the push for bipartisan or share of barbs — depending on the moment — Biden also took the opportunity to lay out sprawling policies he wants advanced in the next two years.
Heading into an expected reelection bid, Biden leaned heavily on economic messaging, pushing for wealthy individuals and corporations to pay more taxes, renewing the expanded child tax credit and eliminating junk fees for people paying for entertainment.
“The idea that in 2020, 55 of the largest companies in America, the Fortune 500, made $40 billion in profits and paid zero in federal income taxes? Folks, simply not fair. But now, because of the law I signed, billion-dollar companies have to pay a minimum of 15%. God love them,” he said.
“Under my plan, nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in taxes. Nobody. Not one penny. But let’s finish the job, there’s more to do,” he said. “No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a school teacher or a firefighter.”
Biden also touched on a spate of social issues, repeating his calls for an assault-style weapons ban and the codification of federal abortion rights — two issues that drew head shakes from Republicans and standing ovations from most Democrats.
Biden keeps up uphill climb on policing reform
The president also pushed for criminal justice changes, praising the parents of Tyre Nichols, the Black man who recently died after being attacked by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Here’s what Tyre’s mom shared with me when I asked her how she finds the courage to carry on and speak out: with faith in God. She said her son ‘was a beautiful soul and something good will come of this,'” Biden said. “Imagine how much courage and character that takes. It’s up to us. To all of us.”
Policing reform has been a white whale for Congress since the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020 sparked calls for changes to how policing in America works.
However, bipartisan conversations have repeatedly broken down over qualified immunity, which shields police officers from lawsuits over their actions.
In response, Sarah Sanders focuses on social issues and Democratic ‘failures’
Newly elected Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave the official GOP response to Biden’s speech, focusing heavily on culture war issues and casting Biden as out of touch with the American people.
Sanders, 40, is the youngest governor in the country and swiftly contrasted her youth with Biden, who is 80 and the oldest president ever.
“I’m the first woman to lead my state. He’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is,” she said.
The response did not address much of what Biden discussed in his speech, particularly given the lack of deep culture war discussions in Biden’s remarks. Still, Sanders lambasted what she labeled Democrats’ emphasis on “radical” social policies.
“While you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day,” she said.
“Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags, and worship their false idols, all while big government colludes with big tech to strip away the most American thing there is — your freedom of speech,” she said. “That’s not normal. It’s crazy, and it’s wrong.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden said America needs to “finish the job on police reform” during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
“I know most cops and their families are good, decent, honorable people. The vast majority. They risk their lives every time they put on that shield,” he said during one of the more powerful moments of the night. “But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better.”
The anticipated comments come nearly a month after 29-year-old Tyre Nichols was beaten during a confrontation with Memphis police officers after he fled a traffic stop on Jan. 7. He died three days later. Five officers involved in the beating were fired and have been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Nichols’ death.
Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, and stepfather, Rodney Wells, were in the audience during Biden’s remarks, seated in the first lady’s box. They received a standing ovation when the president mentioned them by name.
“There’s no words to describe the heartbreak or grief of losing a child. But imagine, imagine if you lost that child at the hands of the law,” Biden said while addressing Nichols’ parents. “Imagine having to worry whether your son or daughter came home from walking down the street, playing in the park, or just driving in the car.”
“Most of us in here have never had to have the talk, the talk that brown and Black parents have had to have with their children,” he continued, while noting he hasn’t had to have that talk with his own children. “Imagine having to worry like that every day in America.”
Pres. Biden introduces the parents of Tyre Nichols during State of the Union address: “Public safety depends on public trust — as all of us know — but too often that trust is violated.”#SOTU
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He also called on getting law enforcement “the training they need,” as well as increasing resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime, community intervention programs and investments in housing, education and job training.
“All this can help prevent violence in the first place,” said Biden, who added that officers or departments must be held accountable when they “violate the public’s trust.”
Biden said that when he asked RowVaughn Wells how she found the courage to speak out, he said she said, “Her son ‘was a beautiful soul and something good will come from this.'”
“Let’s commit ourselves to make the words of Tyler’s [sic] mom true — something good must come from this. Something good,” he said.
“All of us in this chamber, we need to rise to this moment,” Biden said. “We can’t turn away. Let’s do what we know in our hearts, what we need to do. Let’s come together to finish the job on police reform. Do something.”
During Nichols’ funeral last week, RowVaughn Wells tearfully called for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to be passed.
“We need to take some action because there should be no other child that should suffer the way my son [did] and all the other parents here who’ve lost their children,” RowVaughn Wells said. “We need to get that bill passed because if we don’t, that blood — the next child that dies — that blood is going to be on their hands.”
The bill, which would’ve sought to address racial profiling and the use of deadly force, was passed by the Democrat-controlled House in 2021 but stalled in the Senate over the issue of qualified immunity for officers.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Ben Crump, an attorney for Nichols’ family, all pushed for lawmakers to revive talks on the legislation, which was crafted in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in 2020 at the hands of Minneapolis police.
“We demand that Congress pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act,” Harris said at Nichols’ funeral. “Joe Biden will sign it. We should not delay, and we shall not be denied. It is nonnegotiable.”
Calls for police reform were on display during Biden’s second State of the Union address.
The families of George Floyd, Eric Garner, Walter Scott and Tamir Rice — who were all killed by police officers — were invited by the Congressional Black Caucus to attend the address.
Some Democrats also wore black pins with the year 1870 bolded in white, referring to the first known instance of a police officer killing an unarmed, free Black person in the U.S., according to lawmakers.
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — It’s been a presidency defined by contradictions: soaring inflation alongside record-low unemployment, promises of international cooperation interrupted by turmoil and threats, stagnant politics punctuated by bipartisan breakthroughs — all with vows of common purpose offset by sharp reminders of divisions.
Tuesday night brought touches of defiance as well as conciliation from President Joe Biden — and a call for unity amid signs pointing toward anything but, up to and including among Republicans who grew rowdy at times in response.
It shaped an unusual State of the Union address that comes at an uncertain moment for the president and for the nation.
Just past the midpoint of his first term, and just weeks after his 80th birthday, Biden made a broad and energetic case for doing more of what he’s done to date, in much the way that he’s done it. He asked for support to “finish the job” despite deep skepticism over the efficacy of his actions so far — and no absolute certainty about whether he will seek to continue it into a second term.
“We are writing the next chapter in the great American story — a story of progress and resilience,” the president said. “We’re just getting started.”
The president cited encouraging economic statistics while hinting at the economic woes facing so many Americans, declaring flatly at one point, “I get it, I get it.” Yet, his main prescriptions were for doing more of the same, despite the bleaker odds posed by the fact that Republicans now control the House.
“So many things that we did are only now coming to fruition,” Biden said.
Biden referenced highlights and lowlights of the tumultuous months behind him: the COVID pandemic, the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, spiking gas and grocery prices, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese spy balloon that floated into US airspace last week, Black men brutally killed by police officers, crises of fentanyl crossing the border and of veterans’ health.
Still, the turmoil in the past may only be a taste of what’s ahead. For the first time as president, Biden was appearing in a House chamber controlled by Republicans, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy looming over the president’s shoulder both physically and metaphorically.
Biden and McCarthy are set to engage in negotiations — though the president won’t label them as such just yet — over the debt ceiling and federal spending, with potentially catastrophic economic fallout. The president singled McCarthy out for congratulations — an olive branch, perhaps, that could go toward building a working relationship.
“Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you,” Biden said.
There were no references to the coming presidential campaign. But the speech laid out the contours of what a reelection campaign might look like, if one does materialize in the coming weeks, suggesting that he would run like he ran before – and, to a lesser extent, as he governed.
“To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together and find consensus in this Congress as well,” Biden said.
But there are, of course, plenty of reasons why common ground will be harder to find. When the president baited Republicans by referencing scattered GOP plans to cut Medicare and Social Security, the chamber grew unruly. Biden ad-libbed to suggest Republican boos meant everyone could actually agree.
“Let’s all agree — and we apparently are — let’s stand up for seniors,” he said. “Apparently, it’s not going to be a problem.”
The president also made clear that he needs the federal government to deliver on promises both explicit and implicit. Two years of legislating have set up at least two years of implementing, in Biden’s view, as he seeks to build on legislative wins on infrastructure, health care, energy and the environment that once seemed unachievable.
The president did not mention his predecessor by name, with his main reference to him coming in a reminder of how the deficit ballooned under his tenure — drawing more boos from the Republicans in the chamber. But of course, former President Donald Trump – who, unlike Biden, has already declared his 2024 candidacy – continues to dominate political discussions.
Republicans kept Trump close to the conversation Tuesday night with their decision to tap newly elected Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders – best known nationally as a Trump White House press secretary – to give the official GOP response. She ripped into Biden for what she called a “radical left” agenda she called “not normal,” “crazy” and “wrong.”
“While you reap the consequences of their failures, the Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day,” said Sanders, who, at 40, is the nation’s youngest governor and half Biden’s age. “We are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight.”
If there is a good story for Biden to tell about his first two years, there’s ample evidence that the public has yet to hear it. The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll put Biden’s approval rating at just 42% – well within a zone where he’s been treading underwater for nearly a year and half.
If there’s potential salvation inside the numbers for Biden, though, it’s when Biden is contrasted with Republicans. Biden is trusted by just 31% to make the “right decisions for the country’s future,” yet McCarthy is trusted by only 19%.
The same poll found broad support for Biden’s approach for handling the debt ceiling, and skepticism over the legitimacy of the GOP’s inquiry into the “weaponization” of the federal government.
There’s nothing new about Biden trying out optimism on a national stage. Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress came in a sparse House chamber that was at the time controlled entirely if narrowly by Democrats, with attendance limited because of the pandemic and with memories of the Jan. 6 insurrection still fresh.
“America is on the move again,” Biden said in April 2021. “After 100 days of rescue and renewal, America is ready for takeoff, in my view.”
That view did not and could not anticipate the entirety of the challenges ahead. One big question now for Biden is what lift he can still provide, with pressures that will only grow more urgent in the run-up to 2024.
