State of the Union summary
That’s it from us tonight. Here’s how the night unfolded as Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address:
- Biden sharply condemned Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, celebrating America’s “unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny”. “Six days ago, Russia’s Vladimir Putin sought to shake the very foundations of the free world, thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But he badly miscalculated,” Biden said at the start of his hour-long speech. “He thought he could roll into Ukraine, and the world would roll over. Instead, he met a wall of strength he never anticipated or imagined: he met the Ukrainian people.” The Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, attended the speech as Jill Biden’s guest and received a standing ovation.
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Biden confirmed that the US will ban Russian planes from its airspace, following the example of the EU and Canada. “He has no idea what’s coming,” Biden said of Putin. The US president also delivered a strong rebuke to Russian oligarchs, saying the West is “coming for your ill-begotten gains”.
- Biden outlined his strategy for fighting inflation, which has reached a 40-year high in the US. The president said the US needs to invest in American supply chains to both lower prices and provide good-paying jobs for many workers. “I think I have a better idea to fight inflation: lower costs, not your wages,” Biden said. “Instead of relying on foreign supply chains, let’s make it in America.”
- Biden said the US has reached “a new moment” in its fight against coronavirus, as its number of cases decreases after the country passed the peak of its Omicron surge. “Tonight I can say we’re moving forward safely back to more normal routines,” Biden said. He also encouraged offices to reopen, saying, “It’s time for Americans to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again.”
- In the Republican response to Biden’s speech, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds attacked Democrats over rising prices and their pandemic-related policies. “The president and Democrats in Congress have spent the last year either ignoring the issues facing Americans or making them worse,” Reynolds said, blaming Biden’s agenda for pushing gas and food prices higher.
The US politics blog will be back tomorrow for more coverage of the White House’s response to the Ukraine crisis and reactions to the State of the Union. See you then.
Delivering the progressive, Working Families Party response to Biden’s speech, Michigan representative Rashida Tlaib touted the president’s “Build Back Better” agenda and asserted that “no one fought harder for President Biden’s agenda than progressives.”
Tlaib promised that progressives would continue to work with Biden to pass policies that benefit workers and address climate change. She emphasized progressive policy goals including raising the minimum wage, strengthening social safety nets and transforming “our broken immigration system into one where immigrants are welcomed, not vilified.”
On Ukraine, Tlaib said that the “US and our allies must work together towards an immediate cease-fire and a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that de-escalates and saves lives”.
“We need a humanitarian response to this crisis, and we must welcome Ukrainian refugees from all walks of life to the United States,” she added.
At multiple points in her address, Tlaib referenced policy goals that reach beyond what Biden and moderate Democrats have endorsed. But she repeatedly emphasized commonalities among Democrats’ goals – and contrasted them against the right-wing and Republican agenda.
“I’m a lifelong Democrat and I’m also part of the Working Families Party, because I believe that our government must put the needs of working families first,” Tlaib explained
Reflecting on the past year, she said: ‘We showed the potential of an administration and Congress that act together... We showed how our government can be in the service of the working class majority, not just the wealthy few.”
Cori Bush, the progressive representative of Missouri who spent some 400 days campaigning on the streets of Ferguson following the police killing of Michael Brown, points out that the president “didn’t mention saving Black lives once” in his speech tonight.
With all due respect, Mr. President. You didn’t mention saving Black lives once in this speech.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) March 2, 2022
All our country has done is given more funding to police. The result? 2021 set a record for fatal police shootings.
Defund the police. Invest in our communities. https://t.co/t0n0EpHMwd
The president’s full-throated endorsement of policing and call to “fund them, fund them” isn’t surprising – he’s been consistent on this point – but it’s nonetheless a letdown for progressives who pushed to reform policing following nationwide protests against police violence in 2020.
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Kim Reynolds applauded herself for pressuring Iowa schools to reopen in the fall of 2020, before any coronavirus vaccines were available.
“I was attacked by the left. I was attacked by the media. But it wasn’t a hard choice. It was the right choice,” Reynolds said in the Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech.
“And keeping schools open is only the start of the pro-parent, pro-family revolution that Republicans are leading in Iowa and states across this country. Republicans believe that parents matter.”
It’s worth noting that essentially all schools in the US have now reopened, and Biden emphasized the importance of keeping schools open in his speech.
“Our schools are open. Let’s keep it that way. Our kids need to be in school,” Biden said.
As the Guardian’s Nina Lakhani points out, the US-Mexico border is deadly, by design.
Spent the day walking miles with Ajo Samaritans to leave water and food for people forced to risk their lives crossing the militarized Sonora desert where the remains of two people have been found in the past fortnight. The border is not secure it’s deadly… by design #SOTU pic.twitter.com/h5sHxogWgG
— Nina Lakhani (@ninalakhani) March 2, 2022
Biden tonight promised to reform immigration. But his words will ring hollow with immigrants and advocates, considering that the administration has revived the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, also known as the Migrant Protection Protocols.
The administration has asked the Supreme Court to review its efforts to block the policy, which forces asylum seekers at the border to wait for approval in Mexico, but in the meantime has expanded the pool of immigrants that the policy applies to. Biden’s administration has also continued Trump’s “Title 42” public health rule turning away migrants at the border during the pandemic.
“When it comes to immigration, President Biden is not just carrying out the toxic, white supremacist legacy of the Trump era, but unbelievably in some instances he has doubled down,” said Erika Andiola of the advocacy group RAICES, in response to the State of the Union. “President Biden must take immediate action to end all the racist immigration policies of the Trump era, specifically ending Title 42 and the Migrant Protection Protocols which are causing so much trauma and terror.”
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In the Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds attacked Democrats for their response to rising prices in the US.
“The president and Democrats in Congress have spent the last year either ignoring the issues facing Americans or making them worse,” Reynolds said.
“They were warned that spending trillions would lead to soaring inflation. They were told that their anti-energy policies would sent gas prices to new heights, but they plowed ahead anyway, raising the price at the pump by 50% and pushing inflation to a 40-year high.”
In his State of the Union address, Biden outlined his strategy for lowering prices by strengthening American supply chains, while noting that the US and its allies are releasing 60 million barrels of oil from their reserves to address rising gas prices.
“I think I have a better idea to fight inflation: lower costs, not your wages,” Biden said.
Student loan payments are set to resume on 1 May after a pandemic pause, and advocates for loan forgiveness are disappointed that the issue didn’t get a mention tonight.
Student loan debt wasn't mentioned tonight — not once. #SOTU
— The Debt Collective (@StrikeDebt) March 2, 2022
Americans owe a startling $1.73tn in student loans, according to the Federal Reserve. A majority of Americans have favored loan forgiveness in recent polls, and the issue has been a major priority for progressives. Biden could take executive action, forgoing the need for support from moderate Democrats and Republicans in Congress, but has shown an unwillingness to do so.
Reynolds delivers Republican response to Biden's State of the Union
The governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, is now delivering the Republican party’s response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech.
Reynolds attacked Biden’s domestic policies, arguing that Democrats’ agenda had weakened America’s standing as it confronts the global crisis of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s time for America to once again project confidence. It’s time to be decisive, it’s time to lead,” Reynolds said. “But we can’t project strength abroad if we’re weak at home.”
"We can't project strength abroad if we're weak at home," Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds delivers GOP response to #SOTU. pic.twitter.com/YSvP9cn4vq
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 2, 2022
Joe Biden’s first State of the Union speech clocked in at 62 minutes, with the president concluding his speech shortly after 10pm ET.
That means Biden’s speech was the shortest first State of the Union speech since George W Bush addressed Congress in 2002, according to C-SPAN.
In comparison, Donald Trump’s first State of the Union speech in 2018 ran for 80 minutes, while Barack Obama’s 2010 remarks were a bit shorter at 69 minutes.
Length of first State of the Union addresses in the C-SPAN era.#SOTU #SOTU2022 #SOTU22 pic.twitter.com/6c1bKg09Kg
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 2, 2022
Joe Biden mingled with lawmakers and other attendees of his State of the Union speech after he concluded his remarks.
The president shook hands with Justice Stephen Breyer, who received a standing ovation after Biden applauded his decades of service on the supreme court.
Biden could be heard telling Breyer that he has “enormous respect” for him.
Pres. Biden and retiring Justice Stephen Breyer share a moment following the State of the Union. https://t.co/SLfrkxjM7F #SOTU pic.twitter.com/vnjEHLXQ08
— ABC News (@ABC) March 2, 2022
And Joe Manchin’s response to Biden’s latest appeal...
Joe Manchin jokes "they just can't help themselves" when asked about Biden trying to revive the key elements of his Build Back Better agenda.
— Alex Bolton (@alexanderbolton) March 2, 2022
"I don't know where that came from," he jokes.
"Nothing's changed," he said.
"That was a little bit far," he added.
The climate crisis got just two quick mentions today – once in the context of modernizing transportation infrastructure and once in the context of lowering energy costs.
Considering that just yesterday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), issued its “bleakest warning yet” of the consequences of inaction, and considering that Biden touted climate action as a major campaign priority, it’s a notable omission.
In Congress, Biden’s climate agenda has been all but derailed by Joe Manchin, the West Virginia senator who made a fortune from coal and tonight sat on the Republican on the GOP side of the aisle. The president’s re-brand of his “Build Back Better” agenda as an economic package can lower costs for Americans and the federal government is largely an appeal to win Manchin’s support.
Updated
Biden concludes State of the Union speech
Joe Biden has now concluded his State of the Union speech, after speaking for a little over an hour on everything from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the US economy and the country’s fight against coronavirus.
Ending his speech on an optimistic note, the president said he is more hopeful than ever about America’s future.
“The state of the union is strong because you, the American people, are strong. We are stronger today than we were a year ago. And we’ll be stronger a year from now, than we are today,” Biden said as he wrapped up his speech.
“This is our moment to meet and overcome the challenges of our time, and we will -- as one people, one America, the United States of America.”
The blog will have reactions to the speech and more analysis of the president’s remarks coming up, so stay tuned.
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Joe Biden commended Stephen Breyer’s decades of service on the supreme court, as the liberal justice prepares to step down from his post.
“An Army veteran, constitutional scholar, and retiring justice of the United States Supreme Court. Justice Breyer, thank you for your service,” Biden said.
Breyer then received a standing ovation in the House chamber, and the justice briefly covered his face as he smiled in reaction to the loud applause.
President Biden: "Justice Breyer, thank you for your service." #SOTU #SOTU2022 pic.twitter.com/qYyktm9gSe
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 2, 2022
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Joe Biden once again rejected calls from some of the progressive members of his party to defund the police, instead saying police departments need to be funded to keep neighborhoods safe.
“We should all agree the answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities,” Biden said.
“I ask Democrats and Republicans alike: pass my budget and keep our neighborhoods safe.”
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US has reached 'a new moment' in fight against Covid, Biden says
Joe Biden said the US has reached “a new moment” in its fight against coronavirus, as the number of US cases decreases after the country passed the peak of its Omicron surge.
“For more than two years, Covid has impacted every decision in our lives and the life of this nation. And I know you’re tired, frustrated and exhausted,” Biden said.
“Tonight I can say we’re moving forward safely back to more normal routines. We’ve reached a new moment in the fight against Covid-19.”
Biden pointed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new guidelines allowing more Americans to go mask-free because of declining case rates.
The president also announced that starting next week, Americans will be able to order more free coronavirus tests from the federal government.
The president then called on offices to reopen, saying, “It’s time for Americans to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again. People working from home can feel safe to begin to return to the office.”
Updated
“We can end the shutdown of schools and businesses,” Biden declared, as the US lifts pandemic restrictions and rolls back mask mandates. “With 75% of adult Americans fully vaccinated and hospitalizations down by 77%, most Americans can remove their masks, return to work, stay in the classroom, and move forward safely.”
But public health experts may contest that last bit.
Although Covid cases are dropping after the Omicron variant-fueled peak weeks ago, the US still seeing about 91,000 new cases per week. Children too young to be vaccinated, immunocompromised, elderly people and the unvaccinated remain at risk.
“Saying things are normal undercuts us in getting more people vaccinated and in helping people wear masks, because transmission actually remains quite high,” Julia Raifman, assistant professor at Boston University School of Public Health, told my colleague Melody Schreiber last month. “The best way to help people think things are more normal is to reduce the amount of virus with the mitigation measures that we have.”
What’s “safe” has shifted. Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser, had last year said getting the pandemic under control meant getting down to fewer than 10,000 cases a day.
Although Joe Biden has not been invoking the name of his Build Back Better agenda, the president has repeatedly called for implementing pieces of that agenda.
For example, Biden once again proposed establishing a 15% minimum tax rate for corporations, noting that 55 of last year’s Fortune 500 companies paid nothing in federal taxes.
“I’m not looking to punish anyone,” Biden said. “But let’s make sure corporations and the wealthiest Americans start paying their fair share.”
Updated
It’s the plan that shall not be named... tonight.
Biden is touting features of his Build Back Better agenda - including cutting prescription drug prices, raising grants for education, raising the federal minimum wage to $15, and a paid family medical leave program. But he’s ditched the name “Build Back Better”.
The sweeping agenda had been confusing to communicate and sell to Americans. Shifting away from the “Build Back Better” pitch as a social spending agenda, the president is also re-packaging these reforms as a way to reform the economy and help families facing rising costs.
Updated
Biden outlines strategy to fight inflation: 'Lower costs, not your wages'
Joe Biden outlined his strategy to fight rising prices, which have become one of the largest concerns for Americans as inflation has hit a 40-year high.
The president said the US needs to strengthen its supply chains by investing in American manufacturing, which will help lower prices and create good-paying jobs for many.
“I think I have a better idea to fight inflation: lower costs, not your wages,” Biden said. “Instead of relying on foreign supply chains, let’s make it in America.”
The president billed this strategy as his “Building a Better America” plan, marking a slight messaging shift from his “Build Back Better” agenda.
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As expected, Joe Biden touted last year’s passage of his coronavirus relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan, and the bipartisan infrastructure law.
“Unlike the $2 trillion tax cut passed in the previous administration, that benefits the top 1% of Americans ... the American Rescue Plan helped working people and left no one behind,” Biden said.
That remark got briefly interrupted by booing from the Republican side of the aisle, in response to Biden’s criticism of Donald Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Biden got in another dig at his predecessor while celebrating the bipartisan infrastructure law, telling his audience in the House chamber, “We’re done talking about infrastructure weeks. We’re going to have an infrastructure decade.”
That was a reference to Trump’s repeated proclamations of “infrastructure weeks” during his presidency, which never actually resulted in the passage of an infrastructure bill.
Updated
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer was a bit overenthusiastic during the bit about infrastructure...
we've all been there pic.twitter.com/acncafYnbO
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) March 2, 2022
Joe Biden highlighted today’s announcement by the US and its allies that they are releasing 60 million barrels of oil from their reserves to address rising gas prices.
The decision comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has sparked fears that gas prices will rise sharply in the coming weeks, putting more financial strain on American families who are already struggling because of the highest rate of inflation in 40 years.
“I want you to know, we’re going to be OK. We’re going to be OK,” Biden said in his State of the Union speech.
Updated
Biden’s announcement today that US airspace will be closed to Russian flights is big news - but it won’t have as much impact as some of the other actions and sanctions that were taken against Russia.
Russian oligarchs don’t tend to spend as much time in the US as they might in Europe, and tit-for-tat airspace restrictions enacted by the EU and Russia have already caused flight patterns to go all wonky.
But other measures, including restrictions on transfers of money abroad have hit hard.
From my Guardian colleagues in Moscow:
From shopping malls to corporate boardrooms, Russians were trying to find their footing on Monday in what the Kremlin described as the “altered economic reality” that the country was now facing following sanctions on Russia’s Central Bank and other key financial institutions. There were signs that something extraordinary was taking place: the Moscow Exchange, Russia’s largest stock market, has halted trading until 5 March.
With its reserves frozen, the Central Bank announced it would more than double its main interest rates to 20%, the highest this century, and force major exporting companies, including large energy producers like Gazprom and Rosneft, to sell 80% of their foreign currency revenues, effectively buying roubles to prop up the currency rate.
But that did little to calm the frayed nerves at the Metropolis Mall in Moscow, where there were signs that Russians were rushing to turn their cash into consumer goods before prices leapt up. At an M.Video, a popular electronics store, one employee said that rouble prices for iPhones were “the same for now” but that “they could change any minute.” “I’d buy now,” he said.
If there was shock on the streets, then the mood among the business community was even more dour. Several owners of mid-sized companies said that the invasion and subsequent isolation of Russia had made their businesses unprofitable overnight.
Read more:
Biden confirms US is closing airspace to Russian planes
Joe Biden celebrated the coalition of the US and its allies for imposing severe sanctions on the Russian economy and Vladimir Putin specifically, saying the Russian leader is “isolated from the world more than he has ever been”.
The US president also delivered a strong rebuke to Russian oligarchs, saying the West is “coming for your ill-begotten gains”.
“And tonight, I’m announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia and adding an additional squeeze on our economy,” Biden said, confirming earlier reports of his administration’s plans.
Biden said of Putin, “He has no idea what’s coming.”
Joe Biden recognized the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, who is attending the State of the Union as a guest of First Lady Jill Biden.
“Light will win over darkness,” Biden said. “The Ukrainian Ambassador to the US is here tonight, sitting with the First Lady. Let each of us if you’re able to stand, stand and send an unmistakable signal to the world and Ukraine.”
Markarova then received a robust standing ovation from those assembled in the House chamber.
President Biden: "Light will win over darkness. The Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. is here tonight, sitting with the First Lady. Let each of us if you're able to stand, stand and send an unmistakable signal to the world and Ukraine."#SOTU2022 pic.twitter.com/aXFaqiHGfC
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 2, 2022
As members and guests filed into the chamber ahead of Biden’s address, most had shed their masks.
The House and White House have eased their mask requirements ahead of the State of the Union. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday walked back its mask recommendation for most Americans.
For the first time in a while, we’re seeing lawmakers and officials shaking hands, embracing, breathing each other’s air inside a crowded chamber. Guests are limited and negative Covid-19 tests are still required.
Biden condemns Putin: 'Freedom will always triumph over tyranny'
Joe Biden celebrated the fact that lawmakers are able to gather tonight for the State of the Union with somewhat relaxed restrictions, as coronavirus cases in the US have decreased.
“Last year Covid-19 kept us apart. This year we’re finally together again,” Biden said to applause in the House chamber.
Biden then quickly pivoted to discussing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, celebrating America’s “unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny”.
“Six days ago, Russia’s Vladimir Putin sought to shake the very foundations of the free world, thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But he badly miscalculated,” Biden said.
“He thought he could roll into Ukraine, and the world would roll over. Instead, he met a wall of strength he never anticipated or imagined: he met the Ukrainian people.”
Biden’s praise of the Ukrainian people was met with a standing ovation in the House chamber.
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Biden arrives in House chamber and begins remarks
Joe Biden has now arrived in the House chamber, escorted by a number of lawmakers of both parties, including House majority leader Steny Hoyer and majority whip Jim Clyburn.
At 9:05 PM, @POTUS entered the House Chamber.
— House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) March 2, 2022
The president was greeted by loud applause in the chamber as he entered, and some lawmakers seated in the gallery chanted “Joe, Joe, Joe!”
After shaking some hands on his way down the aisle, Biden made his way to the lectern in front of Vice-President Kamala Harris and House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Biden’s remarks have now started, and the blog will have more updates and analysis as he delivers his speech. Stay tuned.
Updated
First lady Jill Biden and members of Joe Biden’s cabinet have now entered the House chamber for the president’s State of the Union speech.
The White House has confirmed that Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will serve as the designated survivor tonight, so she will not be in attendance for Biden’s speech.
Biden’s speech will get underway momentarily, so stay tuned.
First Lady Jill Biden arrives for #SOTU Address. https://t.co/RdYLvfum24 pic.twitter.com/i73p3DrhGH
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 2, 2022
Some of the supreme court justices have just entered the House chamber as well to witness Joe Biden’s first State of the Union speech.
Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney Barrett have now taken their seats in the chamber.
Breyer announced in late January that he will step down from the court this summer, and Biden is nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace the liberal justice.
If confirmed, Jackson will become the first Black woman to serve on the US supreme court. Biden will almost certainly celebrate that accomplishment in his speech tonight.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, has now arrived in the House chamber for Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech.
Markarova is attending the speech as a guest of First Lady Jill Biden, and a member of the White House press pool spotted the ambassador in the presidential motorcade from the White House to Capitol Hill.
Updated
Vice-President Kamala Harris and House speaker Nancy Pelosi will sit behind Joe Biden as he delivers his State of the Union speech tonight, and the two women have already taken their seats behind the lectern.
Pelosi is wearing a pin depicting Ukraine’s flag, and many other lawmakers are carrying small Ukrainian flags or wearing Ukraine’s colors of yellow and blue to show their support for those fighting Russian aggression.
Biden departs White House for Capitol Hill
Joe Biden has now left the White House to make the (very short) trip to Capitol Hill for his first State of the Union speech.
As the president and the first lady left the White House, a reporter asked Biden whether he believed Vladimir Putin had committed war crimes in Ukraine.
Biden chose not to answer the question, but he is expected to condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in his speech tonight, according to excerpts released by the White House.
Biden’s speech is set to get underway in about 15 minutes, so stay tuned.
Updated
Republican senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marco Rubio of Florida are both refusing to attend the State of the Union speech over a Covid-19 testing requirement.
The House has lifted its mask mandate, but has limited guests and is requiring a negative PCR test for attendees. Several members of the House, including Suzan DelBene of Washington state, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Pete Aguilar and Alex Padilla of California and Ted Deutch of Florida – have also tested positive and will miss Biden’s speech at the Capitol.
I hope Biden explains tonight why he surrendered America’s energy independence & apologizes for it. I’ll be watching from home. I refuse to submit to a Covid test to sit in a room of fully vaccinated people in a Capitol ringed with barricades to satisfy Joe Biden’s Covid theater
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) March 2, 2022
Even as the Biden administration and Democratic and Republican leaders across the US lift coronavirus restrictions over warnings from public health experts that doing so will endanger all Americans, and especially older and immunocompromised people, Republicans have doubled and tripled down on efforts to ban mask and vaccine requirements.
Kim Reynolds, the Iowa governor, is expected to tout her anti-public health approach to the pandemic in a Republican response to Biden’s address tonight.
Updated
You may notice someone missing from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s photo of Joe Biden’s cabinet: Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
That’s because Raimondo is serving as the designated survivor for tonight’s State of the Union, according to Punchbowl News:
NEW - Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is the designated survivor, per a source familiar.
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) March 2, 2022
For every State of the Union, a member of the president’s cabinet is selected to stay in a secure location away from Capitol Hill during the speech.
This person is designated to ensure the continuity of the US government if those at the Capitol are somehow harmed during the speech, and the selected official then has to fill the president’s shoes.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland shared a photo of members of Joe Biden’s cabinet gathered together before the president’s State of the Union speech, which will get underway in less than an hour.
“We’re on the way to the Capitol for @POTUS’ first State of the Union address. After a historic year of investments to help our nation build back better, I look forward to hearing his vision for the year ahead. I am forever grateful to be a part of the Biden-Harris administration,” Haaland said in a tweet.
Among those in the photo shared by Haaland are Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
We’re on the way to the Capitol for @POTUS’ first State of the Union address. After a historic year of investments to help our nation build back better, I look forward to hearing his vision for the year ahead. I am forever grateful to be a part of the Biden-Harris administration. pic.twitter.com/yeYCxpupYO
— Secretary Deb Haaland (@SecDebHaaland) March 2, 2022
Updated
Another member of Congress has tested positive for coronavirus and will not be able to attend Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech tonight.
Congressman Dwight Evans, a Democrat of Pennsylvania, said he tested positive earlier today, and he added on Twitter, “I have no symptoms and I feel fine. I am isolating at my DC apartment through the weekend.”
I tested positive for Covid-19 today. I have no symptoms and I feel fine. I am isolating at my DC apartment through the weekend. I appreciate all the hard work that our front-line workers and first responders have done to get us through the pandemic!
— Congressman Dwight Evans (@RepDwightEvans) March 2, 2022
Evans is at least the sixth lawmaker who will be forced to miss Biden’s speech at the Capitol tonight because of a positive coronavirus test result.
Senator Alex Padilla announced he had tested positive this morning, and four of Evans’ House colleagues -- Suzan DelBene of Washington state, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Pete Aguilar of California and Ted Deutch of Florida -- are out with Covid as well.
Joe Biden’s expected announcement that Russian planes will be banned from US airspace comes two days after the EU took similar steps to protest Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Guardian’s Joanna Partridge reports:
On Sunday evening the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the whole bloc would close its airspace to Russian aircraft.
Hours earlier, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Norway and Finland had joined the long list of states across the continent that have imposed national bans on Russian aircraft flying overhead.
The UK, Ireland, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia had already taken the step to close their airspace to Russian planes, severely limiting Russia’s options for flying west.
Canada imposed its own restriction on Russian planes entering its airspace on Sunday, but Canadian officials said the Russian airline Aeroflot violated the ban shortly after it was implemented.
Joe Biden said he will use his State of the Union address to discuss “the progress we’ve made together over the last year and my vision to build a better America”.
The president previewed his remarks on Twitter, and he shared a photo of the first page of his remarks, which acknowledge the House speaker, the vice-president and the members of Congress attending the speech.
“Folks, I’m delivering my first State of the Union address tonight,” Biden said in his tweet. “I’ll be discussing the progress we’ve made together over the last year and my vision to build a better America. I hope you’ll join me and tune in at 9 PM ET to watch.”
Folks, I’m delivering my first State of the Union address tonight. I’ll be discussing the progress we’ve made together over the last year and my vision to build a better America. I hope you’ll join me and tune in at 9 PM ET to watch. pic.twitter.com/whhXS2kdp6
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 2, 2022
US to ban Russian planes from its airspace - reports
The US is banning Russian planes from its airspace, according to multiple reports.
The Wall Street Journal and Reuters are reporting that the US is following in the footsteps of the European Union and Canada, citing anonymous officials. Biden is likely to make an official announcement during the State of the Union speech.
The move will likely complicate existing supply chain disruptions, with Russia having imposed its own flight bans in response to Europe’s ban. Here’s what these flight bans look like from an aerial view:
Some creative routes now. pic.twitter.com/19uh6Dvpdu
— Colin Campbell (@colincampbell) March 2, 2022
United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines. and United Parcel Service said they’ve already had suspended flying over Russian airspace.
Updated
“Patty, a soon-to-be unemployed Virginia pothole” will be Democratic senator Mark Warner’s guest to the State of the Union speech.
It’s Warner’s way of touting the Democrats’ infrastructure bill, which he says in a statement had the “unintended” consequence of putting “millions of hardworking Virginia potholes” out of work.
We can only bring virtual guests to the #SOTU tonight – so I’m bringing Patty, a soon-to-be-unemployed VA pothole. Thanks to the infrastructure law, VA is getting billions for upgrades to roads and more, so potholes like Patty are headed for obsolescence. My statement: pic.twitter.com/dHjkOZCBwX
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) March 1, 2022
Due to Covid precautions, Congress members are allowed to invite only virtual guests to the speech.
Updated
Some lawmakers are using their outfits at the State of the Union tonight to express support for the Ukrainian people as Russia continues to launch rocket strikes on the country’s major cities.
“At Tonight’s #SOTU, I’ll be wearing this tie and ribbon in solidarity with Ukraine and its people,” said Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, who is wearing a tie and ribbon in the Ukrainian colors of yellow and blue.
“The Ukrainian people have showed incredible bravery and resolve. We stand with them,” Brown added.
At Tonight’s #SOTU , I’ll be wearing this tie and ribbon in solidarity with Ukraine and its people.
— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) March 2, 2022
The Ukrainian people have showed incredible bravery and resolve.
We stand with them. #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/3PdpJ0OvYZ
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In his State of the Union speech, Joe Biden is expected to present a roadmap for the next phase of his administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, told CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer that Biden will explain how the US can now roll back some of its coronavirus-related restrictions as case counts decline.
.@WHCOS Ron Klain says Biden will discuss how “we can start to relax” some COVID restrictions in his State of the Union speech.
— The Recount (@therecount) March 1, 2022
Klain says we'll "fight the disease, not fight one another, hopefully end the culture war over COVID." pic.twitter.com/MaDETDKnon
“What you’re going to see the president say is, we’re at a place now where we can start to relax some of these measures, where we can continue to fight the disease -- not fight one another and hopefully end the culture war over Covid,” Klain said.
Klain noted Biden will announce a new “test to treat program,” which will immediately provide those who test positive for coronavirus with Pfizer pills that will help to prevent hospitalization.
In her response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech, Kim Reynolds, the Republican governor of Iowa, will criticize the president’s foreign policy, particularly his handling of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal did more than cost American lives; it betrayed our allies and emboldened our enemies,” Reynolds will say, according to excerpts of her remarks.
In addition to that pointed criticism, Reynolds will also deliver a message of support for the Ukrainian people as they face the threat of devastating Russian airstrikes.
“Now all Americans must stand united in solidarity with the brave people of Ukraine as they courageously defend their country against Putin’s tyranny. As they fight for their freedom,” Reynolds is expected to say.
That is quite a different message than that of the leader of the Republican party, Donald Trump. The former president previously commended Vladimir Putin’s “very savvy” decision to recognize two self-proclaimed republics in east Ukraine, a move that preceded Russian forces’ brutal airstrikes on major Ukrainian cities.
Reynolds to condemn 'runaway inflation' in Republican response to Biden
The governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, will deliver the Republican party’s response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech, and she plans to condemn the rising prices that Americans are seeing in grocery stores and at gas pumps.
“Instead of moving America forward, it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time to the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. When runaway inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing on our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map,” Reynolds will say, according to excerpts released by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell’s office.
She will add, “I saw moms’ and dads’ paychecks buy them less and less. I watched working people choosing which essentials to take home and which ones to leave behind at the register. And now President Biden’s decisions have a whole new generation feeling that same pain.”
According to the excerpts of Biden’s speech released by the White House this evening, the president will outline his strategy to lower prices by strengthening American supply chains.
“We have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make Americans poorer. I have a better plan to fight inflation,” Biden will say. “Lower your costs, not your wages. Make more cars and semiconductors in America. ... And, instead of relying on foreign supply chains – let’s make it in America.”
Victoria Spartz, a Ukrainian American, Republican representative of Indiana, will be escorting Biden to the House chamber tonight.
Spartz has been sharply critical of the president and his response to the Ukraine crisis, saying he should have imposed tougher sanctions against Russia and sent more aid to Ukrainians.
In a speech earlier today, she spoke about her 95-yar-old grandmother, who is in Ukraine. “She experienced Stalin, she experienced Hitler, but she says we haven’t experienced something like [the Russian invasion], ever. This is barbaric and brutal to the level of unbelief,” she said.
“This is not a war. This is genocide of the Ukrainian people,” said Spartz, who immigrated to the US in 2000. “This president needs to get his act together and exercise some leadership,” she said.
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The White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, spoke to NBC News anchor Lester Holt to preview Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech tonight.
Holt asked Klain whether the White House is concerned that Vladimir Putin may attempt to draw attention away from Biden’s remarks by escalating his attacks on Ukraine.
TONIGHT: Ahead of President Biden's State of the Union address, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain speaks with @LesterHoltNBC about concerns over the Russia-Ukraine crisis and more.
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) March 1, 2022
Tune in to @NBCNightlyNews at 6:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm CT (check listings). pic.twitter.com/uHjox1MbpR
“The concern is that six days ago, Vladimir Putin launched an unjustified, unprecedented assault on Ukraine. The concern is that he continues to target civilians in Ukraine. I care less about what hour of the day or night this happens, and more about the fact that what Vladimir Putin is doing in Ukraine is wrong,” Klain said.
Klain commended Biden and European leaders for assembling “this amazing coalition” to ensure that Russia suffers economic consequences for Putin’s invasion, and he noted that the Russian ruble has taken a severe tumble as a result of Western sanctions.
“So they are paying a price for what they’re doing, whatever hour the day and night they do it,” Klain said.
Tell us: how are rising US prices changing the way you shop, work and live?
Joe Biden is expected to outline his inflation policy in his speech tonight - and we want to hear from readers about how it has been impacting your life.
Price rises for food, electricity and shelter were the largest contributors to the increases. Food inflation is up 7% compared to last year; some items like beef have gone up as much as 16%.
Have you had to change what groceries you buy? Have you had to put off certain purchases or trips? Where are you seeing prices rise the most?
We’re interested in hearing from people living all over the US. And we are especially interested in how people are coping in areas where food prices have risen the most (San Diego, Hawaii, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, LA and Denver) – but anyone can take part.
Get in touch via the encrypted form in the story linked below.
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Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen will be sitting with Jill Biden during the State of the Union speech.
Haugen, who was formerly a product manager for Facebook’s civic integrity team, leaked internal documents revealing – among other things – that the social media company knew its platforms were damaging teenagers’ mental health.
Haugen also testified before the Senate that Facebook stoked ethnic violence around the world and failed to tamp down misinformation ahead of 6 January insurrection.
The first lady’s guest list also includes Oksana Markarova, US ambassador to Ukraine.
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Several lawmakers test positive for Covid before State of the Union
Some members of Congress will be missing Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech tonight because they have tested positive for coronavirus.
Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat of California, announced his positive test result this morning, saying he is “asymptomatic and grateful to be fully vaccinated and boosted”.
As I do regularly, I tested yesterday for COVID. Late last night, I received a positive test result with a breakthrough case. I’m asymptomatic and grateful to be fully vaccinated and boosted.
— Senator Alex Padilla (@SenAlexPadilla) March 1, 2022
Four Democratic members of the House -- Suzan DelBene of Washington state, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Pete Aguilar of California and Ted Deutch of Florida -- have also tested positive and will miss Biden’s speech at the Capitol.
Biden’s State of the Union address comes as the number of US coronavirus cases is on the decline, after the country passed the peak of its Omicron surge.
The attending physician of the Capitol has said that masks will be optional for tonight’s event, in accordance with the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That new CDC guidance says that most Americans live in counties where healthy people can stop wearing masks for the time being.
Today, I tested positive for COVID-19. I am glad to be vaccinated and boosted, and although I am experiencing mild symptoms, I am still able to work on behalf of my constituents.
— Rep. Ted Deutch (@RepTedDeutch) March 1, 2022
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In his State of the Union speech tonight, Joe Biden will also outline his administration’s strategy for tackling rising prices, as US inflation hits a 40-year high.
“We have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make Americans poorer. I have a better plan to fight inflation,” Biden will say in his speech, according to excerpts provided by the White House.
“Lower your costs, not your wages. Make more cars and semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America. More jobs where you can earn a good living in America. And, instead of relying on foreign supply chains – let’s make it in America.”
Biden will advertise his strategy as “building a better America,” telling the country, “My plan to fight inflation will lower your costs and lower the deficit.”
That last point may catch the attention of Joe Manchin, who has criticized Biden’s Build Back Better Act because of its potential impact on the federal deficit. The $1.75tn spending package has stalled in the Senate because of Manchin’s opposition.
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'Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked,' Biden will say in State of the Union
Joe Biden will sharply condemn Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in his State of the Union speech tonight, according to excerpts provided by the White House.
“Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked. He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and NATO wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home,” Biden is expected to say.
“Putin was wrong. We were ready.”
The president will also outline the reasoning of the US and its allies for imposing severe sanctions on Russia and Putin personally, arguing such measures are necessary to deter future violence.
“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos. They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising,” Biden will say.
“That’s why the NATO Alliance was created to secure peace and stability in Europe after World War 2. The United States is a member along with 29 other nations. ...
“It matters. American diplomacy matters.”
Biden’s speech comes as Russian forces have escalated their rocket strikes on major Ukrainian cities, including the capital of Kyiv. At least five people were killed in Kyiv today after Russian missiles hit a TV tower.
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Finalized between situation room meetings and calls with allies, Joe Biden will attempt to deliver an address that balances the Ukraine crisis with domestic challenges that polling shows are most important to American voters, such as the economy, inflation and a stalled domestic agenda.
The speech, and all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds it, arrives as Biden’s approval rating falls to new lows, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. Just 37% said they approved of the job he was doing, with a majority of independents rating him negatively.
Underscoring the headwinds facing Democrats ahead of the midterm elections, 50% of Americans said they wanted Republicans in charge of Congress. Just 40% preferred Democrats to remain in control.
In a preview of the speech, White House officials said Biden would tout his administration’s progress on the pandemic, the economic recovery and a pair of early legislative successes: a $1.9tn stimulus package and the bipartisan infrastructure law.
They said Biden would acknowledge the financial hardships facing many American families, while attempting to shift the narrative around the country’s economic trajectory from one of pessimism to progress.
Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address on Tuesday before a bitterly divided Congress, seeking to inspire a pandemic-weary nation deeply unhappy with its leaders and government, while projecting strength to the world after Russia unleashed the largest land war in Europe since the second world war.
The prime-time address comes at a precarious moment for Biden and the world. Speaking in the House chamber, Biden will interrupt harrowing coverage of combat in a European capital, as evidence builds that Russian attacks are striking civilian areas and Russian president Vladimir Putin threatens nuclear war.
From his bunker in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, urged Biden to make the State of the Union speech a “useful” act for the besieged country. Ukraine has been urging the west to impose a “no-fly zone” over “significant parts” of the country, which Nato has refused for fear of being dragged into direct war with Russia.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, will watch the speech as a guest of the First Lady, Jill Biden, sitting alongside her in her viewing box.
It is a starkly different backdrop than White House officials had anticipated when they began drafting the speech, which typically draws millions of viewers.
“There’s no question that this speech is a little different than it would have been just a few months ago,” White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, told reporters on Monday.
Biden to deliver first State of the Union as multiple crises loom
Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.
Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address tonight, as he faces crises on multiple fronts and tries to send a message of optimism about America’s future.
Biden’s speech comes as Russian forces continue to launch rocket strikes on major Ukrainian cities, endangering the lives of civilians. Earlier today, a TV tower in Kyiv was hit by Russian missiles, killing at least five people.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is bracing for the potential impact that the Ukraine crisis could have on gas prices. The US and its allies announced today that the International Energy Agency will release 60 million barrels of crude oil from their strategic petroleum reserves to try to lower gas prices.
Americans were already complaining of rising prices, as US inflation hit a 40-year high in January, and now the White House has to worry about gas costs increasing even more.
Despite all of those concerns, Biden is expected to use his State of the Union address to express hope about the direction of the country and its economy.
“The American people will hear a lot about how he’s going to lower their costs, how he’s going to continue to build a strong economy over the long term,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said yesterday.
The State of the Union is scheduled to get underway at 9pm ET, so stay tuned.
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