This address comes at a pretty crucial time for the US and the rest of the world. A big focus of this speech is likely going to be Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has shocked the entire world. Biden will also talk about his administrations accomplishments over the past year, and get Democrats ready for the mid-term elections which will take place this fall. The Russia invasion has forced the State of the Union address to take on a different tone this year, as Biden’s Press Secretary, Jen Psaki acknowledged last week, in one of the daily press briefings. Congress ditched their mask mandate this past weekend, so that you don’t need to wear one at the Capitol, only if you wanted too. Which means that it’s likely going to be a packed house for the State of the Union address this week.
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?
Last year was Biden’s first Joint Address to Congress, and not a State of the Union, because it was just months into his term. This is his first State of the Union, delivering the address. Over the years, he’s attended many, many State of the Union addresses as a member of Congress and Vice President. There’s plenty of memes from him being Vice President at the State of the Union too. Last year, the big talking point for the speech was the Pandemic. It’ll still be part of the State of the Union this year, but we expect more focus to be put on the crisis in Ukraine. Biden is expected to address some top concerns among Americans, like rising inflation and fatigue about the pandemic. Many Americans are expressing growing malaise over years-long pandemic-related restrictions, while many officials across the country have started to relax the previous prevention measures. This includes the CDC who relaxed its mask mandate over the weekend. On the foreign front, Biden will definitely talk about Russia and Ukraine, and describe the steps that his administration has taken to threaten Russia’s financial stability. President Biden has taken a pretty stark tone in his assessment of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And has promised to impose the most severe sanctions that Russia has ever seen. Finally, Biden will of course tout his accomplishments over the past year, including nominating the first black female to the Supreme Court in Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Who will be replacing the retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. Of course, she still needs to be confirmed by the US Senate.
Who’s delivering the republican response?
This year, Iowa Governor, Kim Reynolds will be delivering the Republican response to Biden’s State of the Union response. Reynolds will deliver the response from Des Moines. She has gained national attention for her response to the pandemic, which ran counter to many of the measures promoted by Biden’s Administration. “Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds represents what it means to lead with conviction and true faith in our fellow citizens. … She handled COVID by choosing freedom over lockdowns and personal responsibility over mandates — leading to real economic recovery from the pandemic. She kept kids in school and critical race theory out,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stated.
Who will be attending?
Congress recently lifted the mask mandate for both the House and the Senate. Which means that we will likely get a full house for the State of the Union this year. Unlike last year, where very few people were actually in the room, with many seats between each person. Typically, 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. Last year, Biden had a Capitol Police Officer as one of his guests, as he acknowledged the January 6th Insurrection.
