Newsletter
President Joe Biden is set to give his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
This address comes at a pretty crucial time for the US and the rest of the world. A big focus this year will again be on Russia and Ukraine. This time last year, Russia had just invaded Ukraine, and it was a big topic for Biden’s 2022 State of the Union Address. The US is sending tanks over to Ukraine to help them fend off the Russians. We’re also going to hear more about the Chinese Spy Balloon that was shot down over the weekend, off the coast of South Carolina.
How do I watch Biden’s Joint Address to Congress?
President Biden’s first State of the Union will be broadcast virtually everywhere.
All of the major news networks will be airing it. That includes CNN, FOX, NBC, ABC, PBS and C-SPAN. The White House is also going to be streaming the event on its YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages. As usual, the Twitter stream will show on-screen commentary from Administration officials and cabinet members. So Twitter users are able to stay in the conversation with what’s happening.
YouTube will also air the speech from all of the major news networks, in addition to The White House. So if you have a news network that you prefer to watch, you can still do that on YouTube. Or you can stay neutral with The White House or C-SPAN. Which won’t be providing any analysis of the address, and just showing the address itself. While Fox News is typically republican leaning and CNN or MSNBC is democrat leaning.
When does it start?
The State of the Union will begin at 9PM ET. Of course, many news networks will start their coverage earlier, talking about what they expect to hear from Biden in tonight’s speech and such.
As usual, the speech is expected to last about 60 to 90 minutes. So expect it to end around 10:30PM ET. Following the speech, all of the talking heads from the news channels will be giving their analysis. That includes ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and many others.
What will Biden talk about?
This is Biden’s second State of the Union address, and his third address to a joint session of Congress. His first address in 2021 was not officially a State of the Union because he had just taken office. This time around, we won’t see two women sitting behind him, instead it’ll be Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy.
It’s expected that he will be talking about foreign policy issues like Russia and Ukraine, as well as the Chinese Spy Balloon that was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean this past weekend.
Biden will also likely be talking about Climate Change, especially after the second deep-freeze that hit most of the US just last week. It was -108F in Mount Washington, New Hampshire last week. Which is the lowest temperature ever recorded in the US. Many are wondering if Biden will give any indication of when or how the Biden administration’s EPA will establish regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
As always, a big part of the address will focus on the economy. Despite having record job growth in his first two years, inflation is running rampant and gas prices are on the rise again. Biden does have some things to be proud of here though. With GDP growth being at 3%at the end of last year, the unemployment rate being 3.4% the lowest since 1969, and gas prices are down but rising. The economy is always a big topic, especially as we move into the next presidential election.
Finally, President Biden will also likely offer a preview of his 2024 re-election message. President Biden has said that he plans to run for re-election. Though he hasn’t officially announced yet. Of course, we’re still about 19 months away from the election. We do know that he could be facing former President Trump once again in this re-election bid. Which Biden beat handily in 2020.
Who’s delivering the republican response?
This year, the newly elected Arkansas Governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be delivering the Republican response. She served as Press Secretary under President Trump. And then left the administration to focus on her Dad’s campaign, before ultimately running for office herself.
Arizona Congressman Juan Ciscomani is also going to be giving a Spanish-language response to the State of the Union.
Typically, the opposing party will use this time to “fact-check” the President, and disagree with things that the President said during his State of the Union. It’s typically much shorter than the State of the Union address, which is usually around an hour to an hour and a half.
Who will be attending?
Now that the Republicans run the House, all COVID-19 precautions have been removed. But it wouldn’t be surprising to see some members still wearing masks. As we are in Flu season as well, and both illnesses are spreading like crazy.
Normally, the US Senate, US House of Representatives, the Supreme Court Justices, and the President’s Cabinet are all in attendance. The First Lady typically has a box in the upper area of the room, with many guests that the President will mention throughout his speech. This year, guests for the State of the Union include the parents of Tyre Nichols, a young black man who was beaten to death by a group of police officers not to long ago. Also on the guest list is Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova and a Holocaust survivor.