President Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. The annual speech is a chance for the president to tell Congress and the American people how things are going in the country and what he wants to do next. So, what did Biden discuss?
Russia and Ukraine
Biden came out of the gate with stern words for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia recently invaded its neighbor, Ukraine. Biden said Putin had started the attack on Ukraine “thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways, but he badly miscalculated.” Instead, “he met with a wall of strength he never … imagined. He met the Ukrainian people.”
President Biden continued, saying the U.S. and Europe stand with the Ukrainians:
“He thought he could divide us at home, in this chamber, in this nation. He thought he could divide us in Europe as well. But Putin was wrong. We are ready. We are united and that’s what we did, we stayed united.”
Biden outlined that together with allies, the U.S. has put “powerful economic sanctions” in place to punish Russia.
The Economy
The president then moved on to talk about America’s economy.
Biden claimed the nation has “created over 6.5 million new jobs just last year. More jobs created in one year than ever before in the history of the United States of America.” Many of these jobs have come as the COVID lockdowns end, causing people to return to the workplace. Another result of the pandemic has been a rise in the prices of common household items. This increase in the cost of things is called inflation. Biden stated that “my top priority is getting prices under control.”
Any Other Business?
The president talked about other subjects that affect Americans.
Immigration: With thousands of people crossing into the U.S. illegally at the southern border, the situation has become hard to manage. “We need to secure the border and fix the immigration system,” Biden announced. He said he wants to pass new laws on the issue.
COVID: Biden encouraged Americans to get the coronavirus vaccine. “We’ll never give up on vaccinating more Americans,” he said. He also called for an end to shutdowns of schools and businesses.
Finally, the president wrapped up his speech with a “Unity Agenda for the Nation,” which includes things “we can do together.” His plan contains points such as:
- Improve mental health, especially among children.
- Support veterans.
- End cancer. Biden asked Congress to fund health research to “drive breakthroughs” in cancer and other diseases.
Republican Rebuttal
After the State of the Union, the president’s opponents normally give their own televised speech in response. It’s their chance to present a different point of view. Since President Biden is in the Democratic Party, the rebuttal speech was given by a Republican: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Reynolds criticized Democrats for their reaction to the COVID pandemic, saying they were too harsh with their rules. She also blamed Biden’s policies for rising prices, adding that many families are suffering from the high cost of food and other essential items.
The governor criticized Biden over how he has handled international issues, saying the president has shown weakness on the world stage.
Democrat Rebuttal
In an unusual move, members of the president’s own party also chose to give a rebuttal. In fact, not just one but two groups within the Democratic Party responded to Biden’s speech. The rebuttals were given by Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib and Texas Representative Colin Allred.
Some have suggested these unusual replies show the president’s party is not united behind him. Both Democrats praised some of Biden’s ideas but said he has not gone far enough to change the country.
Try a quiz based on this article
A State of the Union speech is given by the president once per ______.
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Year.
One of President Biden’s main topics was the war between Russia and ________.
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Ukraine.
To punish Russia, Biden and US allies put sanctions in place to damage Russia’s economy.
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True.
According to President Biden, over the last year, the US has increased the number of _____.
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Jobs.
Inflation is the increase of the cost of household items and other products.
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True.
The Republican rebuttal speech was given by ______ Governor Kim Reynolds.
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Iowa.
Reynolds criticized Democrats for their reaction to _________. (Check all that apply)
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International affairs.
It was unusual for there to be a rebuttal from the president’s own party.
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True.
Some have suggested that a Democratic Party rebuttal means that members of Joe Biden’s own party do not support him and his choices as president.
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True.
What topic(s) did Joe Biden discuss as part of his Unity Agenda for the Nation? (Check all that apply)
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Support veterans.
