GOP probes and divided Congress weigh in on second Biden SOTU: live updates
President Joe Biden will try to convince a divided Congress that Democrats and Republicans must work together on behalf of the American people when he delivers his second State of the Union Address Tuesday.
Faced with bleak prospects for bigger legislative victories, a looming showdown over the federal budget, and a GOP House investigation his administration and his family, Biden will tout his successes and present new proposals.
Look for bipartisanship to be a recurring theme as he tackles the economy, the war in Ukraine, immigration and other issues. The speech, before a joint session of Congress, will serve as a prelude to Biden’s likely 2024 re-election bid.
Here’s what else is happening in politics on Tuesday:
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Bono, Tire Nichols’ family members among guests seated with First Lady Jill Biden on Tuesday night
U2 rock band singer Bono and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova are among White House guests at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Guests are chosen to underline the themes of the President’s speech or because they represent his political initiatives.
Bono is the co-founder of the ONE campaign to fight poverty and preventable diseases, and (RED), which fights HIV/AIDS in Africa. Other guests who will be seated with First Lady Jill Biden during the speech include:
- The mother and stepfather of Tire Nichols, the 29-year-old black man who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers.
- Brandon Tsay, the man who disarmed the Monterey Park gunman who killed 11 people and injured 10 others during a Lunar New Year celebration.
- A Texas woman who nearly died because doctors feared that intervening when her pregnancy was having trouble would violate the state’s abortion ban.
- One of the same-sex couples in Massachusetts who sued the state for the right to marry in 2001.
– Maureen Groppe
A State of the Union Address “Joe Biden”
Biden and his aides have been busy writing his speech for weeks. The prep work continued over the weekend, when Biden met with senior aides at Camp David, the presidential retreat just outside Washington. The speech will be polished and polished until the last minute, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
The White House declined to outline the writing process, but Jean-Pierre noted that this was not Biden’s first major speech.
“The president was a senator for 36 years, he was vice president for eight years, he’s been president for two years,” she said. “He knows how the process works. He knows how important (the speech) is going to be. And when you hear the speech, it will sound like Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
–Michael Collins
The State of the Union is Tuesday:Here’s what you can expect from Joe Biden’s speech
How to watch the State of the Union?
Major television networks and other news outlets, such as Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and PBS, provide live coverage of the address, in addition to some online live streams. The speech will be broadcast live by USA TODAY.
-Marina Pitofsky
What there is to know:How to watch the State of the Union? Why is the annual address important?
USA Today
