President
Joe Biden
addressed several policy areas in the
State of the Union
on Tuesday, some of which
Congress
is already taking steps to address.
Biden’s address listed many priorities, including fixing the crisis at the border, reforming the criminal justice system, providing aid to Ukraine, providing infrastructure across the nation, and solving the debt ceiling limit.
STATE OF THE UNION 2023: FIVE MOST COLORFUL MOMENTS FROM BIDEN’S ROWDY SPEECH
Here are the ways Congress has already begun addressing these five issues.
Immigration
Biden touted significant progress in policing human smuggling and fentanyl tracking across the southern border but also raised concerns about the still-increasing influx of fentanyl into the U.S. His comments
received loud jeers
from Republicans, with Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) saying, “It’s your fault.”
Republicans, who vowed to hold Biden and his administration accountable for the border crisis, are already making headway in their investigations. The House Oversight Committee held a hearing on the border crisis on Tuesday just hours before the State of the Union address.
The hearing, titled “On The Front Lines of the Border Crisis: A Hearing with Chief Patrol Agents,” allowed two border agents to testify about their experiences at the southern border. Members of the committee also discussed the successes and failures at the border.
Administration officials continue to say they are creating a “safe, orderly, humane” immigration system. “But reality contradicts this propaganda,” Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said in his opening remarks.
The House Judiciary Committee held its first
hearing
on the border crisis last week, though no Border Patrol officials appeared before the committee.
Biden pleaded with lawmakers during his address to take additional action, stating that if they won’t pass “comprehensive immigration reform,” then legislation should be passed to provide additional equipment and officers necessary to secure the border.
STATE OF THE UNION 2023: JOE MANCHIN SAYS REPUBLICAN JEERING DURING BIDEN ADDRESS ‘NOT ACCEPTABLE’
Gun and criminal justice reform
The president honored Tyre Nichols, who died at the hands of five Memphis police officers, and his parents, who were in attendance at the State of the Union, during one of the most somber moments of the night.
He mentioned that RowVaughn Wells, Nichols’s mother, said that Nichols was “a beautiful soul and something good will come out of this.” Both parties gave the Wells a standing ovation, but there was partisan support for Biden’s comments on banning assault weapons.
Conversations about bipartisan police reform are underway again in both the Senate and the House. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC) have ”
not stopped talking
” about police reform legislation since their attempt in 2021.
Booker said that as “two black men in America who’ve had really awful experiences with law enforcement,” he is hopeful they can come to an agreement. The Democrat also said he has spoken with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) about commonsense reform and that he believes it is going in the right direction.
In the House, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) told Wells that she plans on reintroducing the
George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
with a “Tyre Nichols Duty to Intervene” component after Biden’s State of the Union address.
Aid to Ukraine
As it reaches one year since the invasion of Ukraine, Biden condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “unfair and brutal war” at the State of the Union address, calling Putin a “test for America and a test for the world.”
Biden said the nation’s defense of Ukraine is a testament to the U.S.’s ability to keep a global coalition intact and unite countries together in opposition to authoritarianism.
“America is united in our support for your country. We will stand with you as long as it takes,” Biden said.
His comments come after several Republicans have expressed that their support to monetarily help Ukraine has grown thin. Many are against sending more aid to Ukraine, especially after the Biden administration announced on Feb. 3 that it would provide a
new military package
to Ukraine worth over $2 billion, including longer-range missiles.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) warned prior to the 2022 election that if the GOP gained a majority in the House, Ukraine might not be able to count on aid from the U.S. Members including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) have begun pushing to cut off funding completely to focus on domestic concerns.
STATE OF THE UNION 2023: FACT CHECK OF BIDEN ECONOMIC CLAIMS
Infrastructure
Biden brought the room together when discussing infrastructure, citing how Republicans and Democrats passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Since the law was passed, 20,000 projects have been funded, including airports and bridges.
“I sincerely thank my Republican friends who voted for the law,” Biden said. “And to my Republican friends who voted against it, but still ask to fund projects in their districts, don’t worry. I promised to be the president for all Americans. We’ll fund your projects, and I’ll see you at the groundbreaking.”
The president received a standing ovation from both parties when he announced new standards that all construction materials used in federal infrastructure must be made in America. He called on Congress to do more for infrastructure, as the U.S. has fallen from No. 1 in infrastructure to No. 13.
Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he
plans to have the committee
look at energy and supply chain concerns, as well as at passing a pipeline safety bill and the next Water Resources Development Act.
Debt ceiling debate
The president asked Congress to come together and lift the debt ceiling, the latest call in a major debate between Republicans and Democrats from both chambers.
Biden argued that the Trump administration, congress raised the debt ceiling “three times without preconditions or crisis.”
“They paid America’s bills to prevent economic disaster for our country,” Biden said. “Tonight, I’m asking this Congress to follow suit.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RESTORING AMERICA
Biden also sparred with GOP members during the State of the Union address after stating that some Republicans want to cut Medicare and Social Security in part of their negotiations to raise the debt ceiling. McCarthy previously said cutting those programs is “off the table,” and he shook his head while the president made those claims on Tuesday night.
McCarthy and Biden sat down for the first time to discuss the debt ceiling and other topics last week, a meeting that the speaker said showed potential for
finding “common ground”
between Democrats and Republicans.
