President Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address at 9 PM ET on Tuesday, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominates world news and the U.S. is about to enter its third year of the coronavirus pandemic. On Russia, Biden will outline “steps he’s taken to build a global coalition imposing crippling financial sanctions” on the country and its key players, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.
Biden is likely to address the pandemic as something receding into the past, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently relaxed its mask guidance for most areas. The message from the White House these days is that we are “moving towards a time when COVID isn't a crisis,” giving Biden an area to strike an optimistic tone, even as nearly 2,000 people a day are dying.
The economy is another area where Biden is expected to balance good news with the recognition that many people continue to struggle. He’ll likely tout strong job numbers and unemployment rates that have dropped significantly over the past year. And he’ll talk about planned infrastructure improvements made possible by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. We can hope that Biden will also provide a sober reminder of the good done by the now-expired expanded child tax credit, which lifted millions of children out of poverty and gave the families of millions more some extra breathing room, and press Congress to restore it.
But Biden will also address inflation, and his plans to deal with it. “The president will absolutely use the word ‘inflation’ tomorrow,” Psaki said. One administration effort to combat inflation will target the major shipping companies that have racked up record-breaking profits over the past year.
“The Justice Department and the Federal Maritime Commission together will crack down on antitrust violations among shipping companies, to try to bring more competition into the sector,” The New York Times reports. “Federal shipping regulators will also step up their oversight of certain practices by shipping companies, like unfair fees.” The House has already passed legislation that would increase oversight of the shipping industry, and Biden may urge the Senate to pass it as well.
The Republican response to Biden’s address will be offered by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib will respond for the Working Families Party. And No Labels “will host an unprecedented bipartisan response” from Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer, co-chairs of the House Problem Solvers Caucus (which creates more problems than it solves). As Dave Weigel notes, the fact that Gottheimer is participating in that State of the Union response did not stop him from attacking Tlaib for planning a response.
Biden’s State of the Union will be televised and streamed widely across news networks. Additionally, the White House will have it on its official social media channels:
YouTube: President Biden’s First State of the Union
Twitter: @WhiteHouse or @POTUS
Facebook: White House on Facebook