February 7th, marked the second State of the Union address of President Biden. The night began as all other State of the Union addresses have in the past, with President Biden walking into the chamber of the House of Representatives, the President then handing the Vice President, (Kamala Harris), and Speaker of the House, (Kevin McCarthy), a copy of his speech. Then like all others the President faced the crowd and began his speech. 

Congress and the GOP: 

President Biden began his speech addressing all members of Congress, for the first time after the Republicans took control of the House of Reps, the President again, seemingly appealing to be the President for all American people, urged for more unity between the Republicans and Democrats, and wanted more bipartisan support. Along with congratulating McCathy as the new Speaker of the House. To the applause of the GOP. Biden also focused on creating a closer relationship with members of the Republican party, “to my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress.” 

Economy: 

The President then shifted to focusing on his administration’s achievements of the past two years, especially in the American economy. After a challenging past three years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States economy is recovering. Biden stated, “jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the choices we made in the last two years. This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives.” 

Big Pharma: 

The President then touched on big pharmaceutical companies. Throughout the Biden administration’s time in office, Congress and the President have caped insulin prices for the elderly at $30s. However, Biden’s goal does not stop there, “Big Pharma has been unfairly charging people hundreds of dollars – and making record profits. Not anymore…Let’s cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for every American who needs it.” Biden seemingly placing combating huge price inflation by pharmaceutical companies at the center of his agenda. 

Police Reform: 

Next, Biden touched on police reform and the recent killing of Tyre Nichols, saying, “we have to do better”. In the audience sat Nichols bereaved parents, who received a standing ovation from everyone in the audience. Biden called for better training for officers before entering the police force. 

Ukraine: 

The President, one year after the Ukraine invasion, again is calling for support. The U.S. has currently put $24.9 billion toward funding the Ukrainian efforts. The Biden administration is trying to rally more money for Zelinsky against the Russian invasion. 

Junk Fees: 

Biden really hates Junk fees. The President spoke extensively about how he hopes to get rid of junk fees plaguing Americans today. Biden hopes to save all Americans about $288 through the Junk Fee Prevention Act. 

China: 

Biden has been criticized for a relaxed stance on China. Maybe one of the most pressing issues regarding national security today, Biden only briefly touched on the emerging superpower. Biden stated his promise to “work with China where we can advance American interests and benefit the world”. But also asserted that he would protect Americans against a threat, as he claims his administration did when shooting on the spy balloon. 

Mitt Romney and George Santos: 

Before President Biden took the stage, Senator Mitt Romney told New York Representative, George Santos, that “you don’t belong here” and “You ought to be embarrassed”. This exchange comes as Santos is currently under investigation by the House Ethic Committee. Santos has allegedly lied to the public to get elected and continued to lie while in office. Santos reportedly did not respond well to Romney’s comments. 

Biden gets heckled: 

Throughout the address, like many others in the past, there was a lot of emotion in the crowd. However, most notably was Marjorie Taylor Greene, who yelled “liar” at Biden after made a statement about Republicans wanting the end of entitlement programs. Additionally, after Biden spoke on the fentanyl crisis in the United States, other republicans yelled “it’s your fault. This State of the Union proved to be one of the most decisive in modern history. 

The 2023 State of the Union, was nothing out of the ordinary. The current President recited a list of their accomplishments of the past year, made comments about the opposing party, and promised the American people more government. The American public is watching, what will get done?