President Joe Biden faced a rowdy response from Republicans Tuesday who shouted and booed at the commander in chief during his State of the Union address.
In addition to Biden’s back-and-forth with the GOP during various parts of his 72-minute address, Republicans squabbled with each other on the House floor.
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Here are some of the most spirited and emotional moments from inside the House chamber during Biden’s address:
1. Republicans and Biden spar over president’s allegation GOP wants to sunset Medicare and Social Security
Biden’s remarks accusing some Republicans of wanting “Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years,” with the risk of the programs going away if Congress fails to renew it, was met with strong pushback from Republican lawmakers, who loudly booed his comments. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) even stood and yelled “liar” from the back of the chamber.
Following the comments, one GOP lawmaker told the Washington Examiner that the speech was “delusional,” with another Republican member arguing that it was “divisive.”
In response to the GOP criticism, Biden acknowledged that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has voiced that cuts to Social Security and Medicare are off the table as they look to negotiate a deal on the debt ceiling.
“So we agree that Social Security and Medicare is off the books,” Biden said, which was met with some applause from the GOP side of the chamber.
The vocal criticisms of Biden come in the wake of McCarthy telling Republicans in a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning to be on their best behavior, noting that cameras and microphones would be on, according to one source in the room.
2. Rep. George Santos and Sen. Mitt Romney trade barbs
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) took aim at embattled Republican George Santos (R-NY), who was sitting prominently near the main aisle, with the former presidential candidate telling Santos “you don’t belong here.” Santos alleged that Romney called him an “ass,” to which he responded by calling him “a much bigger asshole.”
Santos is likely facing an ethics investigation for fabricating large portions of his background and for his campaign finances.
Romney later told reporters that he was “disappointed” that McCarthy has not called on Santos to resign.
3. Republicans take aim at Biden over fentanyl deaths
When Biden raised concerns about the fentanyl crisis, telling the room that it is “killing more than 70,000 Americans a year,” freshman Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) yelled, “It’s your fault.”
“I had a moment where I blurted it out, ‘It’s your fault,'” Ogles said afterward, noting he was “offended” by Biden not recognizing the humanitarian crisis taking place at the southern border and for his failure to fix the problem.
“He’s not done a damn thing about it, and I am offended by that,” he said.
Ogles added his timing may not have been perfect while speaking up but that he feels the problem is something that should be of bipartisan concern.
“In the moment that I spoke, you just had almost the entirety of the conference speak out against his words. It just so happened as they were getting quiet, I got louder. So my timing, my cadence, might have been slightly off,” Ogles said.
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4. Biden takes aim at Republicans for voting against bipartisan infrastructure bill while touting funding for projects in their districts
The president touted the passage of the sweeping bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last year, praising the GOP lawmakers who backed it and swiping at those who didn’t.
“I want to thank my Republican friends who voted for the law and my Republican friends who voted against it but still ask to fund projects in their districts. But don’t worry. I promised to be the president for all Americans — we’ll fund these projects, and I’ll see you at the groundbreaking,” he said.
Biden received bipartisan applause for his call “to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America.”
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5. Lawmakers give standing ovation for Tyre Nichols’s parents as Biden honors him in speech
Following the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old unarmed black man who was killed by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle applauded Nichols’s mother, RowVaughn Wells, and stepfather, Rodney Wells, as Biden acknowledged the tragedy.
Biden called for bipartisan efforts on police reform legislation, saying, “We have to do better.”
“And we know police officers put their lives on the line every day, and we ask them to do too much,” Biden said. “To be counselors, social workers, psychologists; responding to drug overdoses, mental health crises, and more. We ask too much of them. I know most cops are good, decent people. They risk their lives every time they put on that shield. But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often.”
