United States (US) President Joe Biden delivered the first State of the Union address of his presidency on Tuesday, during which he spoke of several issues of international and national interest.
Opening his address with the Ukraine crisis, Biden said that “Russia’s (President) Vladimir Putin sought to shake the foundations of the free world thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But he badly miscalculated.” In this regard, he lauded the “fearlessness” and “courage” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as his citizens. He called on the members of the US government to “send an unmistakable signal to Ukraine and to the world” that Washington stands with the Ukrainian people.
.@POTUS: "The U.S. Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of Russian oligarchs. We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.” pic.twitter.com/IgtLBWGVDz
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 2, 2022
Biden then announced that the US will join its European allies “in closing off American air space to all Russian flights – further isolating Russia – and adding an additional squeeze – on their economy.”
Moving on to combating the national repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden noted that the US economy had “created over 6.5 million new jobs just last year,” the highest single-year figure in US history. Biden noted that the economy grew by 5.7% in 2021, “the strongest growth in nearly 40 years.”
.@POTUS: "Our economy created over 6.5 million new jobs in America last year.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 2, 2022
More jobs created in one year than ever before." pic.twitter.com/J8LUa7MXlJ
He also advised the public and his administration to follow four “common-sense steps” to “move forward safely” in terms of public health: stay protected with vaccines and treatments, prepare for new variants, end the shutdown of schools and businesses, and continue vaccinating the world.
Furthermore, the President announced that his government “will start fixing over 65,000 miles of highway and 1,500 bridges in disrepair” this year and that all of those projects aiming to “rebuild America” will utilise American products to support American jobs. However, he cautioned that in order “to compete for the best jobs of the future, we also need to level the playing field with China.”
.@POTUS: "I’m announcing that this year we will start fixing over 65,000 miles of highway and 1,500 bridges in disrepair." pic.twitter.com/qCOA5YGdMw
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 2, 2022
Next, Biden introduced his “plan to fight inflation,” which he assured would lower costs for American households. As part of the initiative, he suggested cutting the cost of prescription drugs, child care, and energy. He assured that under his plan, “nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in new taxes.” “Lowering your costs also means demanding more competition. I’m a capitalist, but capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism. It’s exploitation—and it drives up prices,” he said.
.@POTUS: "One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 2, 2022
and make Americans poorer. I have a better plan to fight inflation: lower your costs – not your wages." pic.twitter.com/YP8Md9S6Pc
The President then called on the government to “pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and paid leave,” which he said will help raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. In addition, he called for the passage of the Bipartisan Equality Act for the LGBTQ+ community. “[The] onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans and their families is wrong,” Biden asserted.
"We, the United States of America, stand with the Ukrainian people."
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 2, 2022
— @POTUS pic.twitter.com/SgnpZ5KKAO
He concluded his address by remarking “As hard as these times have been, I am more optimistic about America today than I have been my whole life. We are the only nation on Earth that has always turned every crisis we have faced into an opportunity. On this night, in our 245th year as a nation, I have come to report on the State of the Union. And my report is this: the State of the Union is strong—because you, the American people, are strong. We are stronger today than we were a year ago. And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today.”