Biden's State Of The Union Address: US President Vows To Veto Any National Abortion Ban — Key Takeaways

Biden said, "We’re often told that Democrats and Republicans can’t work together. But over the past two years, we proved the cynics and the naysayers wrong."

US President Joe Biden addresses annual State of Union

Source : Twitter/@ANI

New Delhi: US President Joe Biden on Tuesday called US democracy "unbowed" and pledged to work with the opposition party in his annual State of the Union address.

In his first address to a joint session of Congress since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January, Biden cited progress in a post-pandemic economy and emphasised that a deeply divided Congress could resolve its differences.

Biden said, "We’re often told that Democrats and Republicans can’t work together. But over the past two years, we proved the cynics and the naysayers wrong."

"To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together and find consensus on important things in this Congress as well," he added.

For the very first time, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, sat behind Biden for the address.

“Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you," Biden said addressing McCarthy.

Seeking to project optimism ahead of a 2024 presidential campaign, Biden said the economy was benefiting from 12 million new jobs, COVID-19 no longer controls American lives, and U.S. democracy remains intact despite facing its biggest threat since the Civil War.

"Today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken," he said.

Abortion Ban

US President Biden threatened to veto any legislation that would ban abortion nationwide, as he urged Congress to restore women's reproductive rights that had been guaranteed until the Supreme Court's reversal last year.

"Make no mistake about it; if Congress passes a national abortion ban, I will veto it," Biden said during his State of the Union speech, as he vowed to do everything in his administration's power to "protect access to reproductive health care" and safeguard patient safety.

Infrastructure Bill

Since his inauguration in 2021, shortly after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Biden has said he wants to unify the country. And he stuck to that theme, highlighting a massive infrastructure bill that many Republican lawmakers had opposed.

"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 ground-breaking," he added.

Russia-Ukraine War

As the Russia-Ukraine war approaches its one-year anniversary, Biden underlined the US support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion.

“Together, we did what America always does at our best. We led. We united NATO. We built a global coalition. We stood against Putin’s aggression. We stood with the Ukrainian people. Tonight, we are once again joined by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States. She represents not just her nation, but the courage of her people,” Joe Biden said. 

Employment

Biden said in his State of the Union address that his administration has "created, with the help of many people in this room, 12 million new jobs — more jobs created in two years than any president has ever created in four years.”

Crime

Speaking on crimes in the US, Biden said, "We need more resources to reduce violent crime & gun crime, community intervention programs...All this can help prevent violence in the first place...Ban assault weapons once and for all. We did it before. I led the fight to ban them in 1994."

 

"In the 10 years the ban was law, mass shootings went down. After Republicans let it expire, mass shootings tripled. Let’s finish the job and ban assault weapons again," he added.

 

US-China relations

 

Commenting on US-China relations, Biden stated, "Before I came to office, the story was about how China was increasing its power and America was falling in the world. Not anymore. I’ve made clear with Chinese President Xi that we seek competition, not conflict."

 

"We are investing to make America strong & investing in our alliances & working with our allies to protect our advanced technologies so they’re not used against us. We’re in the strongest position in decades to compete with China or anyone else in the world," he added.

 

He further stated, "If China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. Let’s be clear, winning the competition with China should unite all of us. We face serious challenges across the world. In past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker."

In a foreshadowing of themes he may use in a presidential campaign, Biden was expected to hammer corporations for profiteering from the pandemic, and run through a wish list of economic proposals, the White House said, although many are unlikely to be passed by Congress. They include a minimum tax for billionaires, and a quadrupling of the tax on corporate stock buybacks.

On foreign policy, Biden was expected to highlight the U.S.-led response to Russia's year-long invasion of Ukraine, the strength of the NATO alliance and tensions between the United States and China, spotlighted by a Chinese spy balloon that the U.S. military shot down this week.

He was expected also to lash out a "Big Oil" and "Big Pharma" for profit-taking, airlines and credit card companies for charging junk fees, and companies that pay low tax rates.

"Big corporations aren’t just taking advantage of the tax code. They’re taking advantage of you, the American consumer," he said.