Biden’s State of the Union address will focus on reassurance

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is poised to offer a reassuring assessment of the state of the nation rather than flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address seeking to overcome domestic pessimism and concerns about his own leadership.

His address to a politically divided Congress came on Tuesday night as the nation struggled to explain the mixed flows at home and abroad – economic uncertainty, war Tired in Ukraine, rising tensions with China among them — and cautiously assessing Biden’s campaigning for a likely re-election bid.

According to a new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, the president will stand in front of the House of Representatives at a time when only a quarter of American adults say things in the country are going well. go in the right direction. About three-quarters say things are going wrong. And most Democrats don’t want Biden to seek another term.

Aides said Biden would aim to confront those sentiments directly, while trying to avoid appearing insensitive to Americans’ concerns.

Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, said Biden would “acknowledge and meet the American people where they live,” adding that their “economic anxiety is real.” .”

“I think the core message is: We have to make more progress, but people should feel optimistic,” he added.

READ MORE: Here’s what to know ahead of Biden’s State of the Union Address

Chapman University presidential historian Luke Nichter said the closest parallel to Biden’s current plight could be the 1960s, when global unrest met domestic unrest. Biden has an opportunity to be a “melting presence” for the country, he said.

“Usually, we’re looking for an agenda: ‘This is what he’s up to.’ I don’t know if that’s really realistic,” Nichter said. “I think Americans’ expectations of what Congress will actually achieve is pretty low. And so I think right now, the sentiment and tone, and helping Americans feel better about their situation, I think there’s a long way to go.”

The backdrop for Biden’s speech will be markedly different from a year ago, when Nancy Pelosi, the staunch Democrat, sat behind him as speaker. She was replaced by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and it is unclear what kind of reception Republicans will receive from the Democratic president.

With COVID-19 restrictions now lifted, the White House and legislators of both parties are inviting guests designed to deliver political messages home with their presence at the event. meeting room of the House of Representatives. The parents of Tire Nichols, who was brutally beaten by police in Memphis and later died, were among those expected to be in the audience.

Biden is changing his vision after spending his first two years passing major bills like the bipartisan infrastructure package, the bill to boost high-tech manufacturing and the climate law. With Republicans now in control of the House, Biden is shifting focus to enforcing major legislation and making sure voters recognize his improvements rather than launching new initiatives. important.

That’s largely by necessity. Biden faces a newly empowered Republican who wants to undo many of his achievements and vows to pursue a multitude of investigations – including a review of recent discoveries of classified documents from the United States. as vice president in his former home and office.

At the same time, Biden will need to find a way to work across the board to raise the federal debt limit this summer and maintain funding for the government. Biden has insisted that he will not negotiate on meeting the country’s debt obligations; Republicans are equally adamant that Biden must make spending concessions.

The night before the president’s speech, McCarthy challenged Biden to the negotiating table with House Republicans to cut spending as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling.

“Mr. President, it’s time to get to work,” McCarthy said in remarks from the speaker’s balcony at the Capitol.

While hopes of large-scale bipartisanship are slim, Biden is set to issue an appeal to Congress in 2022 to support his “unified agenda” of actions to tackle the pandemic. opioids, mental health, veterans’ health, and the fight against cancer.

The speech came days after Biden ordered the military to shoot down a balloon suspected of Chinese espionage that flew over the country, drawing national attention and serving as a reminder of the relationship. tension between the two global powers.

Last year’s speech came just days after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine and when many in the West questioned Kiev’s ability to withstand the onslaught. Over the past year, the United States and other allies have sent tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to bolster Ukraine’s defenses. Now, Biden must prove – both at home and abroad – to sustain that alliance as the war drags on.

“The president is going to really want to solidify the important achievements that have been made and then solidify how much more has to be done, how committed are we to doing it, and we will ask the United States Congress to rely on it. on a bipartisan basis let’s join us in making that work,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday.

While COVID-19 has eased at home, Biden will turn his gaze to other national ills, including the deadly drug epidemic, gun violence and police abuse.

The president spent much of the weekend through Monday reviewing drafts of the speech with aides at the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland.

Senior White House adviser Anita Dunn will preview the broad themes of Biden’s speech to Democratic lawmakers throughout Tuesday, starting with a breakfast with Democrats. House of Representatives on Capitol Hill.

McCarthy urged Biden to embrace the Republican effort to put the national finances on a path toward a balanced budget, which would require deep and politically unpopular cuts in federal spending that Biden and the Democrats vehemently objected.

“We have to work towards a balanced budget and emphasize real accountability for every dollar we spend,” says McCarthy.

He asserted that cuts to Medicare and Social Security, popular health and retirement programs primarily intended for older Americans, were “indisputable” in any budget negotiations. The GOP leader also said that “our default is not an option.”

The White House has insisted Republicans cannot be trusted to defend these programs and criticized Republicans for “actively threatening to throw our economy into default” by introducing debt limit conditions.