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The State of the Union address, March 1, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n US President Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union address tonight. It did not occur last year because of the Covid pandemic and potentially other concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 insurrection. With events then and since it would under any circumstances have been under the spotlight unlike any State of the Union for some time.<\/p>\n However, the primary focus changed dramatically because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (the potential impact of which we commented on a month and a half ago in The End Of Civilization As We Knew It, Part Twenty<\/em><\/a>) starting one week ago (which although met with unexpectedly effective resistance in the first days, appears headed for far worse brutality, the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two and the looming potential threat of World War Three, including nuclear weapons, between Russia and the US, NATO and other European and western democracies, potentially pulling in others globally) giving the speech particular historical significance.<\/p>\n It created what had been an unimaginable spectacle beforehand: Every member of Congress from both parties standing and applauding together related to support for Ukraine and measures against Russia for its aggression and wider threat against democracy and global peace.<\/p>\n Here is Bidens’ speech, as reported by CNN<\/a> from the transcript released by The White House, and video of the speech from CNN here<\/a>:<\/p>\n (CNN)\u00a0<\/cite>President Joe Biden delivered his 2022 State of the Union address on Tuesday. Here’s his speech as prepared for delivery and released by the White House.<\/em><\/p>\n THE PRESIDENT: Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President, our First Lady and Second Gentleman. Members of Congress and the Cabinet.\u00a0Justices of the Supreme Court. My fellow Americans.<\/p>\n Last year COVID-19 kept us apart. This year we are finally together again.<\/p>\n Tonight, we meet as Democrats\u00a0Republicans\u00a0and Independents.\u00a0But most importantly as Americans.<\/p>\n With a duty to one another to the American people to the Constitution.<\/p>\n And with an unwavering resolve\u00a0that freedom\u00a0will always triumph over tyranny.<\/p>\n Six days ago, Russia\u2019s Vladimir Putin sought to shake the foundations of the free world thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways.\u00a0But he badly miscalculated.<\/p>\n He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over.\u00a0Instead he met a wall of strength he never imagined.<\/p>\n He met the Ukrainian people.<\/p>\n From President\u00a0Zelenskyy\u00a0to every Ukrainian, their fearlessness, their courage, their\u00a0determination, inspires the world.<\/p>\n Groups of citizens blocking tanks with their bodies.\u00a0Everyone from students to retirees teachers turned soldiers defending their homeland.<\/p>\n In this struggle as President\u00a0Zelenskyy\u00a0said in his speech to the European Parliament \u201cLight will win over darkness.\u201d\u00a0The Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States\u00a0is here tonight.<\/p>\n Let each of us here tonight in this Chamber send an unmistakable signal to Ukraine and to the world.<\/p>\n Please rise if you are able and show that, Yes, we the United States of America\u00a0stand with the Ukrainian people.<\/p>\n Throughout our history we\u2019ve learned this lesson\u00a0when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression\u00a0they cause more chaos.<\/p>\n They keep moving.<\/p>\n And the costs and the threats\u00a0to America and the world\u00a0keep rising.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the NATO Alliance\u00a0was created\u00a0to secure peace\u00a0and stability in Europe\u00a0after World War 2.<\/p>\n The United States\u00a0is a member\u00a0along with 29\u00a0other nations.<\/p>\n It matters.\u00a0American diplomacy matters.\u00a0American resolve matters.<\/p>\n Putin\u2019s latest attack on Ukraine\u00a0was premeditated and unprovoked.<\/p>\n He rejected repeated efforts at diplomacy.<\/p>\n He thought the West\u00a0and NATO\u00a0wouldn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n And he thought he could divide us at home. Putin was\u00a0wrong. We were ready.\u00a0 Here is what we did.<\/p>\n We prepared extensively and carefully.<\/p>\n We spent months building a coalition of other freedom-loving nations from Europe and the Americas to Asia and Africa\u00a0to confront Putin.<\/p>\n I spent countless hours unifying our European allies.\u00a0We shared with the world in advance what we knew Putin was planning and precisely how he would try to falsely justify his aggression.<\/p>\n We countered Russia\u2019s lies with truth.<\/p>\n And now that he has acted the free world is<\/p>\n holding him\u00a0accountable.<\/p>\n Along with twenty-seven members of the European Union including France, Germany, Italy, as well as countries like\u00a0 the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and many others, even Switzerland.<\/p>\n We are inflicting pain on Russia\u00a0and supporting the people of Ukraine.\u00a0Putin is now isolated from the world\u00a0more than ever.<\/p>\n Together with our allies \u2013we are right now\u00a0enforcing powerful economic sanctions.<\/p>\n We are cutting off Russia\u2019s largest banks from the international financial system.<\/p>\n Preventing Russia\u2019s central bank from defending the Russian Ruble making Putin\u2019s $630 Billion \u201cwar fund\u201d worthless.<\/p>\n We are choking off Russia\u2019s access to technology that will sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come.<\/p>\n Tonight I say to the Russian oligarchs and corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime no more.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of Russian oligarchs.<\/p>\n We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts your luxury apartments your private jets. We are coming for your ill-begotten gains.<\/p>\n And tonight I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American air space to all Russian flights \u2013 further isolating Russia \u2013\u00a0and adding an additional squeeze \u2013on their economy. The Ruble has lost 30% of its value.<\/p>\n The Russian stock market has lost 40% of its value\u00a0and trading remains suspended. Russia\u2019s economy is reeling and Putin alone is to blame.<\/p>\n Together with our allies we are providing support to the Ukrainians in their fight for freedom. Military assistance. Economic assistance.\u00a0Humanitarian assistance.<\/p>\n We are giving more than $1 Billion in direct assistance to Ukraine.<\/p>\n And we will continue to aid the Ukrainian people as they defend their country and to help ease their suffering.<\/p>\n Let me be clear, our forces are not engaged and will not engage in conflict with Russian forces\u00a0in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Our forces are\u00a0not\u00a0going to Europe to fight in Ukraine, but to defend our NATO Allies \u2013\u00a0in the event that Putin decides to keep moving west.<\/p>\n For that purpose we\u2019ve mobilized American ground forces, air squadrons, and ship deployments to protect NATO countries including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.<\/p>\n As I have made crystal clear the United States and our Allies will defend every inch of territory of NATO countries with the full force of our collective power.<\/p>\n And we remain clear-eyed. The Ukrainians are fighting back with pure courage.\u00a0But the next few days weeks,\u00a0months, will be hard on them.<\/p>\n Putin has unleashed violence and chaos.\u00a0 But while he may make gains on the battlefield \u2013 he will pay a continuing high price over the long run.<\/p>\n And a proud Ukrainian people, who have known 30 years\u00a0 of independence, have repeatedly shown that they will not tolerate anyone who tries to take\u00a0their country backwards.<\/p>\n To all Americans, I will be honest with you, as I\u2019ve always promised.\u00a0A Russian dictator, invading a foreign country, has costs around the world.<\/p>\n And I\u2019m taking robust action to make sure the pain of our sanctions\u00a0 is targeted at Russia\u2019s economy. And I will use every tool at our disposal to protect American businesses and consumers.<\/p>\n Tonight, I can announce that the United States has worked with 30 other countries to release\u00a060 Million\u00a0barrels of oil from reserves around the world.<\/p>\n America will lead that effort, releasing 30 Million barrels from our own Strategic Petroleum Reserve.\u00a0\u00a0And we stand ready to do more if necessary, unified with our allies.<\/p>\n These steps will help blunt gas prices\u00a0here at home.\u00a0And I know the news about what\u2019s happening\u00a0can seem alarming.<\/p>\n But I want you to know that we are going to be okay.<\/p>\n When the history of this era is written Putin\u2019s war on Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger.<\/p>\n While it shouldn\u2019t have taken something\u00a0so terrible for people around\u00a0the world to see what\u2019s at stake\u00a0now everyone sees it clearly.<\/p>\n We see the unity among leaders of nations and a more unified Europe a more unified West. And we see unity among the people who are gathering in cities in large crowds around the world even in Russia to demonstrate their support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n In the battle between democracy and\u00a0autocracy, democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security.<\/p>\n This is a real test. It\u2019s going to take time.\u00a0So let us continue to draw inspiration from the iron will of the Ukrainian people.<\/p>\n To our fellow Ukrainian Americans who forge a deep bond that connects our two nations we stand with you.<\/p>\n Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks, but he will never gain the hearts and souls\u00a0of the Ukrainian people.<\/p>\n He will never extinguish their love of\u00a0freedom.\u00a0He\u00a0will never weaken the resolve of the free world.<\/p>\n We meet tonight in an America that has lived through\u00a0two of the hardest years this nation\u00a0has ever faced.<\/p>\n The pandemic has been punishing.<\/p>\n And so many families are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to keep up with the rising cost of food, gas, housing, and so much more.<\/p>\n I understand.<\/p>\n I remember when my Dad had to leave our home\u00a0in Scranton, Pennsylvania to find work.<\/p>\n I grew up in a family where if the price of food went up,\u00a0you felt it.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why\u00a0one of the first things I did\u00a0as President was fight to pass\u00a0the American Rescue Plan.<\/p>\n Because people were hurting. We needed to act,\u00a0and we did.<\/p>\n Few pieces of legislation\u00a0have done more\u00a0in a critical moment in our history\u00a0to lift us out of crisis.<\/p>\n It fueled our efforts to vaccinate the nation and combat COVID-19.\u00a0It delivered immediate economic relief\u00a0for tens of millions of Americans.<\/p>\n Helped put food on their table, keep a roof over their heads,\u00a0and cut the cost of health insurance.<\/p>\n And as my Dad used to say,\u00a0it gave people a little breathing room.<\/p>\n And unlike the $2 Trillion tax cut passed in the previous administration that benefitted the top 1% of Americans, the American Rescue Plan helped working people\u2014and left no one behind.<\/p>\n And it\u00a0worked.\u00a0It\u00a0created jobs.\u00a0Lots of jobs.<\/p>\n In fact\u2014our economy created over 6.5 Million new jobs just last year,\u00a0more jobs created in one year<\/p>\n than ever before\u00a0in the history of America.<\/p>\n Our economy grew at a rate of 5.7% last year, the strongest growth in nearly 40 years, the first step in bringing fundamental change to an economy that hasn\u2019t worked for the working people of this nation for too long.<\/p>\n For the past 40 years we were told that if we gave tax breaks to those at the very top, the benefits would trickle down to everyone else.<\/p>\n But that trickle-down theory led to weaker economic growth, lower wages, bigger deficits, and the widest gap between those at the top and everyone else in nearly a century.<\/p>\n Vice President Harris and I ran for office\u00a0with a new economic\u00a0vision for America.<\/p>\n Invest in America. Educate Americans. Grow the workforce. Build the economy from the bottom up<\/p>\n and the middle out,\u00a0not from the top down.<\/p>\n Because we know that when the middle class grows, the poor have a ladder up\u00a0and the wealthy do very well.<\/p>\n America used to have the best\u00a0roads, bridges, and airports on Earth.<\/p>\n Now our infrastructure\u00a0is ranked 13th<\/sup>\u00a0in the world.<\/p>\n We won\u2019t be able to compete for the jobs of the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0Century\u00a0if we don\u2019t fix that.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it was so important to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law\u2014the most sweeping investment to\u00a0rebuild America in history.<\/p>\n This was a bipartisan effort,\u00a0and I want to thank<\/p>\n the members of both\u00a0parties\u00a0who\u00a0worked\u00a0to make it happen.<\/p>\n We\u2019re done talking about\u00a0infrastructure weeks.<\/p>\n We\u2019re going to have an infrastructure decade.<\/p>\n It is going to transform America and put us on a path to win the economic competition of the 21st Century<\/p>\n that we face with the rest of the world\u2014particularly with China.<\/p>\n As I\u2019ve told Xi Jinping, it is never a good bet to bet against the American people.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll create good jobs for millions of Americans, modernizing roads, airports, ports, and waterways\u00a0all across America.<\/p>\n And we\u2019ll do it all to withstand the devastating effects of the climate crisis and promote environmental justice.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, begin to replace poisonous lead pipes\u2014so every child\u2014and every American\u2014has\u00a0clean water to drink at home and\u00a0at\u00a0school, provide affordable high-speed internet for every American\u2014urban, suburban, rural, and tribal communities.<\/p>\n 4,000 projects\u00a0have already been announced.<\/p>\n And tonight, I\u2019m announcing that this year we will start fixing over 65,000 miles of highway and 1,500 bridges in disrepair.<\/p>\n When we use taxpayer dollars to rebuild America \u2013\u00a0we are going to Buy American: buy American products to support American jobs.<\/p>\n The federal government spends about $600 Billion a year\u00a0to keep the country safe and secure.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been a law on the books\u00a0for almost a century<\/p>\n to make sure taxpayers\u2019 dollars\u00a0support American jobs and businesses.<\/p>\n Every Administration says they\u2019ll do it,\u00a0but we are actually doing it.<\/p>\n We will buy American to make sure everything from<\/p>\n the deck of an aircraft carrier to the steel on highway guardrails\u00a0are made in America.<\/p>\n But to compete\u00a0for the best jobs of the future,\u00a0we also need to level the playing field\u00a0with China and other competitors.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it is so important to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act sitting in Congress that will make record investments in emerging technologies\u00a0and American manufacturing.<\/p>\n Let me give you one example of why\u00a0it\u2019s so important to pass it.<\/p>\n If you travel 20 miles east of Columbus, Ohio,\u00a0you\u2019ll find 1,000 empty acres of land.<\/p>\n It won\u2019t look like much, but if you stop and look closely, you\u2019ll see a \u201cField of dreams,\u201d\u00a0the ground on which America\u2019s future will be built.<\/p>\n This is where Intel, the American company that helped build Silicon Valley, is going to build its $20\u00a0billion semiconductor \u201cmega site\u201d.<\/p>\n Up to eight state-of-the-art factories in one place.\u00a010,000 new good-paying jobs.<\/p>\n Some of the most sophisticated manufacturing in the world\u00a0to make computer chips the size of a fingertip\u00a0that power the world and our everyday lives.<\/p>\n Smartphones. The Internet.\u00a0Technology we have yet to invent.<\/p>\n But that\u2019s just the beginning.<\/p>\n Intel\u2019s CEO, Pat\u00a0Gelsinger,\u00a0who is here tonight,\u00a0told me they are ready\u00a0to increase their investment from<\/p>\n $20 billion to $100\u00a0billion.<\/p>\n That would be one of the biggest investments\u00a0in manufacturing in American history.<\/p>\n And all they\u2019re waiting for\u00a0is for you to pass this bill.<\/p>\n So let\u2019s not wait any longer.\u00a0Send it to my desk.\u00a0I\u2019ll sign it.<\/p>\n And we will really take off.<\/p>\n And Intel is not alone.<\/p>\n There\u2019s something happening in America.<\/p>\n Just look around\u00a0and you\u2019ll see an amazing story.<\/p>\n The rebirth of the pride that comes from stamping products \u201cMade In America.\u201d\u00a0The revitalization of American manufacturing.<\/p>\n Companies are choosing to build new factories here, when just a few years ago,\u00a0they would have built them overseas.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what is happening. Ford is investing $11 billion to build electric vehicles,\u00a0creating 11,000 jobs across the country.<\/p>\n GM is making the largest investment in its history\u2014$7\u00a0billion to build electric vehicles,\u00a0creating 4,000 jobs in Michigan.<\/p>\n All told,\u00a0we created 369,000\u00a0new manufacturing jobs in America\u00a0just last year.<\/p>\n Powered by people I\u2019ve met like\u00a0JoJo\u00a0Burgess, from generations of union steelworkers\u00a0from\u00a0Pittsburgh, who\u2019s here with us tonight.<\/p>\n As Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown says,\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s time to bury the label \u201cRust Belt.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s time.<\/p>\n But with all the bright spots in our economy,\u00a0record job growth and higher wages,\u00a0too many families are struggling\u00a0to keep up with the bills.<\/p>\n Inflation is robbing them\u00a0of the gains they might otherwise feel.<\/p>\n I get it.\u00a0That\u2019s why my top priority\u00a0is getting prices under control.<\/p>\n Look, our economy roared back faster than most predicted, but the pandemic meant that\u00a0businesses had a hard time\u00a0hiring enough workers\u00a0to keep up production in their factories.<\/p>\n The pandemic also disrupted global supply chains.<\/p>\n When factories close,\u00a0it takes longer to make goods<\/p>\n and get them from the warehouse to the store, and prices go up.<\/p>\n Look at cars.<\/p>\n Last year,\u00a0there weren\u2019t enough\u00a0semiconductors to make all the cars\u00a0that people wanted to buy.<\/p>\n And guess what,\u00a0prices of automobiles went up.<\/p>\n So\u2014we have a choice.<\/p>\n One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages<\/p>\n and make Americans poorer.<\/p>\n I have a better plan to fight inflation.<\/p>\n Lower your\u00a0costs,\u00a0not your wages.<\/p>\n Make more cars and semiconductors\u00a0in America.<\/p>\n More infrastructure and innovation\u00a0in America.<\/p>\n More goods moving faster and cheaper in America.<\/p>\n More jobs where you can earn a good living in America.<\/p>\n And instead of relying on foreign supply chains,\u00a0let\u2019s make it in America.<\/p>\n Economists call it \u201cincreasing the productive capacity of our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n I call it building a better America.<\/p>\n My plan to fight inflation will lower your costs and lower the deficit.<\/p>\n 17 Nobel laureates in economics say my plan will ease long-term inflationary pressures. Top business leaders and most Americans support my plan. And here\u2019s the plan:<\/p>\n First \u2013 cut the cost of prescription drugs. Just look at insulin. One in ten Americans has diabetes. In Virginia, I met a 13-year-old boy named Joshua Davis.<\/p>\n He and his Dad both have Type 1 diabetes, which means they need insulin every day. Insulin costs about $10 a vial to make.<\/p>\n But drug companies charge families like Joshua and his Dad up to 30 times more. I spoke with Joshua\u2019s mom.<\/p>\n Imagine what it\u2019s like to look at your child who needs insulin and have no idea how you\u2019re going to pay for it.<\/p>\n What it does to your dignity, your ability to look your child in the eye,\u00a0to be the parent you expect to be.<\/p>\n Joshua is here with us tonight. Yesterday was his birthday. Happy birthday, buddy.<\/p>\n For Joshua, and for the 200,000 other young people with Type 1 diabetes, let\u2019s cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month so everyone can afford it.<\/p>\n Drug companies will still do very well. And while we\u2019re at it let Medicare negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, like the VA already does.<\/p>\n Look, the American Rescue Plan is helping millions of families on Affordable Care Act plans save $2,400 a year on their health care premiums. Let\u2019s close the coverage gap and make those savings permanent.<\/p>\n Second \u2013 cut energy costs for families an average of $500 a year by combatting climate change.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s provide investments and tax credits to weatherize your homes and businesses to be energy efficient and you get a tax credit;<\/p>\n Double America\u2019s clean energy production in solar, wind, and so much more;<\/p>\n Lower the price of electric vehicles,\u00a0saving you another $80 a month because\u00a0you\u2019ll never have to pay at the gas pump again.<\/p>\n Third \u2013 cut the cost of child care. Many families pay up to $14,000 a year for child care per child.<\/p>\n Middle-class and working families shouldn\u2019t have to pay more than 7% of their income for care of young children.<\/p>\n My plan will cut the cost in half for most families and help parents, including millions of women, who left the workforce during the pandemic because they couldn\u2019t afford child care,\u00a0to be able to get back to work.<\/p>\n My plan doesn\u2019t stop there. It also includes home and long-term care. More affordable housing.\u00a0And Pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old.<\/p>\n All of these will lower costs.<\/p>\n And under my plan,\u00a0nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in new taxes. Nobody.<\/p>\n The one thing all Americans agree on is that the tax system is not fair. We have to fix it.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not looking to punish anyone. But let\u2019s make sure corporations and the wealthiest Americans start paying their fair share.<\/p>\n Just last year, 55 Fortune 500 corporations earned $40 billion in profits and paid zero dollars in federal income tax.<\/p>\n That\u2019s simply not fair. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve proposed a 15% minimum tax rate for corporations.<\/p>\n We got more than 130 countries to agree on a global minimum tax rate\u00a0so companies can\u2019t get out of paying their taxes\u00a0at home by shipping jobs and factories overseas.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why I\u2019ve proposed closing loopholes so the very wealthy don\u2019t pay a lower tax rate than a teacher or a firefighter.<\/p>\n So that\u2019s my plan.\u00a0It will grow the economy and lower costs for families.<\/p>\n So what are we waiting for? Let\u2019s get this done.\u00a0And while you\u2019re at it, confirm my nominees to the Federal Reserve, which plays a critical role in fighting inflation.<\/p>\n My plan will not only lower costs to give families a fair shot, it will lower the deficit.<\/p>\n The previous Administration not only ballooned the deficit with tax cuts for the very wealthy and corporations, it undermined the watchdogs whose job was to keep pandemic relief funds from being wasted.<\/p>\n But in my administration,\u00a0the watchdogs have been\u00a0welcomed back.<\/p>\n We\u2019re going after the criminals who stole billions in relief money meant for small businesses and millions of Americans.<\/p>\n And tonight,\u00a0I\u2019m announcing that the Justice Department will name a chief prosecutor for pandemic fraud.<\/p>\n By the end of this year,\u00a0the deficit will be down to less than half what it was before I took office.<\/p>\n The only president ever to cut the deficit by more than one trillion dollars in a single year.<\/p>\n Lowering your costs also means demanding more competition.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a capitalist,\u00a0but capitalism without competition<\/p>\n isn\u2019t capitalism.<\/p>\n It\u2019s exploitation\u2014and it drives up prices.<\/p>\n When corporations don\u2019t have to compete, their\u00a0profits go up, your\u00a0prices go up,\u00a0and small businesses\u00a0and family farmers and ranchers\u00a0go under.<\/p>\n We see it happening with ocean carriers moving goods in and out of America.<\/p>\n During the pandemic, these foreign-owned companies raised prices by as much as 1,000% and made record profits.<\/p>\n Tonight,\u00a0I\u2019m announcing a crackdown\u00a0on these companies overcharging American businesses and consumers.<\/p>\n And as Wall Street firms take over more nursing homes,\u00a0quality in those homes has gone down and costs have gone up.<\/p>\n That ends on my watch.<\/p>\n Medicare is going to set higher standards for nursing homes and make sure your loved ones get the care they deserve and expect.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll also cut costs and keep the economy going strong by giving workers a fair shot, provide more training and apprenticeships,\u00a0hire them based on their skills not degrees.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and paid leave.<\/p>\n Raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and extend the Child Tax Credit,\u00a0so no one has to raise a family in poverty.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s increase Pell Grants and increase our historic support of HBCUs, and invest in what Jill\u2014our First Lady who teaches full-time\u2014calls America\u2019s best-kept secret:\u00a0community colleges.<\/p>\n And let\u2019s pass the PRO Act when a majority of workers want to form a union\u2014they shouldn\u2019t be stopped.<\/p>\n When we invest in our workers, when we build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out together, we can do something we haven\u2019t done in a long time: build a better America.<\/p>\n For more than two years,\u00a0COVID-19 has impacted every decision in our lives and the life of the nation.<\/p>\n And I know you\u2019re tired,\u00a0frustrated,\u00a0and exhausted.<\/p>\n But I also know this.<\/p>\n Because of the progress we\u2019ve made, because of your resilience and the tools we have, tonight I can say<\/p>\n we are moving forward safely,\u00a0back to more normal routines.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve reached a new moment\u00a0in the fight against COVID-19,\u00a0with severe cases down to a level not seen since last July.<\/p>\n Just a few days ago,\u00a0the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2014the CDC\u2014issued new mask guidelines.<\/p>\n Under these new guidelines,\u00a0most Americans in most of the country can now be mask free.<\/p>\n And based on the projections, more of the country will reach that point across the next couple of weeks.<\/p>\n Thanks to the progress we have made this past year, COVID-19 need no longer control our lives.<\/p>\n I know some are talking about \u201cliving with COVID-19\u201d. Tonight \u2013 I say that we will never just accept living with COVID-19.<\/p>\n We will continue to combat the virus as we do other diseases.\u00a0And because this is a virus that mutates and spreads,\u00a0we will stay on guard.<\/p>\n Here are four common sense steps\u00a0as we move forward safely.<\/p>\n First,\u00a0stay protected with vaccines and treatments.\u00a0We know how incredibly effective vaccines are.\u00a0If you\u2019re vaccinated and boosted you have the highest degree of protection.<\/p>\n We will never give up on vaccinating more Americans. Now,\u00a0I know parents with kids under 5\u00a0are eager to see a vaccine authorized\u00a0for their children.<\/p>\n The scientists are working hard to get that done and we\u2019ll be ready with plenty of vaccines when they do.<\/p>\n We\u2019re also ready with anti-viral treatments. If you get COVID-19,\u00a0the Pfizer pill reduces your chances of ending up in the hospital by 90%.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve ordered more of these pills than anyone in the world. And Pfizer is working overtime to get us 1 Million pills this month\u00a0and more than double that next month.<\/p>\n And we\u2019re launching the \u201cTest to Treat\u201d initiative so people can get tested at a pharmacy, and if they\u2019re positive,\u00a0receive antiviral pills on the spot at no cost.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re immunocompromised or have some other vulnerability,\u00a0we have treatments and free high-quality masks.<\/p>\n We\u2019re leaving no one behind\u00a0or ignoring anyone\u2019s needs as we move forward.<\/p>\n And on testing,\u00a0we have made hundreds of millions of tests available for you to order for free.<\/p>\n Even if you already ordered free tests tonight, I am announcing that you can order more from covidtests.gov\u00a0starting next week.<\/p>\n Second \u2013 we must prepare for new variants.\u00a0Over the past year, we\u2019ve gotten much better at detecting new variants.<\/p>\n If necessary, we\u2019ll be able to deploy new\u00a0vaccines within 100\u00a0days instead of many\u00a0more months or years.<\/p>\n And, if Congress provides the funds we need, we\u2019ll have new stockpiles of\u00a0tests, masks, and pills ready if needed.<\/p>\n I cannot promise a new variant won\u2019t come.\u00a0But I can promise you we\u2019ll do everything within our power to be ready if it does.<\/p>\n Third \u2013 we can end the shutdown of schools and businesses.\u00a0We have the tools we need.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time for Americans to get back to work\u00a0and fill our great downtowns again.\u00a0\u00a0People working from home can feel safe to begin to return to the office.<\/p>\n We\u2019re doing that here in the federal government. The vast majority of federal workers will once again work in person.<\/p>\n Our schools are open. Let\u2019s keep it that way.\u00a0Our kids need to be in school.<\/p>\n And 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,\u00a0and move forward safely.<\/p>\n We achieved this because we provided free vaccines, treatments, tests,\u00a0and masks.<\/p>\n Of course,\u00a0continuing this costs money.<\/p>\n I will soon send Congress a request.<\/p>\n The vast majority of Americans have used these tools and may want to again,\u00a0so I expect Congress to pass it quickly.<\/p>\n Fourth,\u00a0we will continue vaccinating the world.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve sent 475 Million vaccine doses to 112 countries,\u00a0more than any other nation.<\/p>\n And we won\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n We have lost so much to COVID-19. Time with one another. And worst of all,\u00a0so much loss of life.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s use this moment to reset. Let\u2019s stop looking at COVID-19 as a partisan dividing line and see it for what it is:\u00a0A\u00a0God-awful disease.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s stop seeing each other as enemies,\u00a0and start seeing each other for who we really are:\u00a0Fellow Americans.<\/p>\n We can\u2019t change how divided we\u2019ve been. But we can change how we move forward\u2014on COVID-19 and other issues we must face together.<\/p>\n I recently visited the New York City Police Department days after the funerals of Officer Wilbert Mora and his partner,\u00a0Officer Jason Rivera.<\/p>\n They were responding to a 9-1-1 call\u00a0when a man shot and killed them with a stolen gun.<\/p>\n Officer Mora was 27 years old.<\/p>\n Officer Rivera was 22.<\/p>\n Both Dominican Americans\u00a0who\u2019d grown up on the same streets\u00a0they later chose to patrol as police officers.<\/p>\n I spoke with their families and told them that we are forever in debt for their sacrifice,\u00a0and we will carry on their mission to restore the trust and safety every community deserves.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve worked on these issues a long time.<\/p>\n I know what works:\u00a0Investing in crime prevention<\/p>\n and community police officers who\u2019ll walk the beat, who\u2019ll know the neighborhood,\u00a0and who can restore trust and safety.<\/p>\n So let\u2019s not abandon our streets.\u00a0Or choose between safety and equal justice.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s come together to protect our communities, restore trust, and hold law enforcement accountable.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the Justice Department required body\u00a0cameras,\u00a0banned\u00a0chokeholds,\u00a0and restricted no-knock warrants for its officers.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why the American Rescue Plan provided $350 Billion that cities, states, and counties can use to hire more police and invest in proven strategies like community violence interruption\u2014trusted messengers breaking the cycle of violence and trauma and giving young people hope.<\/p>\n We should all agree:\u00a0The answer is not to Defund the police.\u00a0The answer is to FUND the police\u00a0with the resources and training\u00a0they need to protect our communities.<\/p>\n I ask Democrats and Republicans alike: Pass my budget and keep our neighborhoods safe.<\/p>\n And I will keep doing everything in my power to crack down on gun trafficking and ghost guns you can buy online and make at home\u2014they have no serial numbers and can\u2019t be traced.<\/p>\n And I ask Congress to pass proven measures to reduce gun violence. Pass universal background checks. Why should anyone on a terrorist list be able to purchase a weapon?<\/p>\n Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.<\/p>\n Repeal the liability shield\u00a0that makes gun manufacturers\u00a0the only industry in America\u00a0that can\u2019t be sued.<\/p>\n These laws don\u2019t infringe\u00a0on the Second Amendment.\u00a0They save lives.<\/p>\n The most fundamental right in America is the\u00a0right to vote\u00a0\u2013 and\u00a0to have\u00a0it counted. And it\u2019s under assault.<\/p>\n In state after state, new laws have been passed, not only to suppress the vote,\u00a0but to subvert entire elections.<\/p>\n We cannot let this happen.<\/p>\n Tonight. I call on the Senate to: Pass the Freedom to Vote Act. Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. And while you\u2019re at it,\u00a0pass the Disclose Act\u00a0so Americans can know\u00a0who is funding our elections.<\/p>\n Tonight, I\u2019d like to honor someone who has dedicated his life to serve this country: Justice Stephen Breyer\u2014an Army veteran, Constitutional scholar, and retiring Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Justice Breyer,\u00a0thank you for your service.<\/p>\n One of the most serious constitutional responsibilities a President has\u00a0is nominating someone to serve\u00a0on the United States Supreme Court.<\/p>\n And I did that 4 days ago,\u00a0when I nominated Circuit Court of Appeals Judge\u00a0Ketanji\u00a0Brown Jackson.\u00a0One of our nation\u2019s top legal minds,\u00a0who will continue Justice Breyer\u2019s legacy\u00a0of excellence.<\/p>\n A former top litigator in private practice. A former federal public defender. And from a family of public school educators and police officers. A consensus builder. Since she\u2019s been nominated, she\u2019s received a broad range of support\u2014from the Fraternal Order of Police to former judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans.<\/p>\n And if we are to advance liberty and justice,\u00a0we need to secure the Border and fix the immigration system.<\/p>\n We can do both. At our border, we\u2019ve installed new technology like cutting-edge scanners to better detect drug smuggling.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve set up joint patrols with Mexico and Guatemala to catch more human traffickers.<\/p>\n We\u2019re putting in place dedicated immigration judges so families fleeing persecution and violence can have their cases heard faster.<\/p>\n We\u2019re securing commitments and supporting partners in South and Central America to host more refugees and secure their own borders.<\/p>\n We can do all this while keeping lit the torch of liberty that has led generations of immigrants to this land\u2014my\u00a0forefathers and so many of yours.<\/p>\n Provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers,\u00a0and essential workers.<\/p>\n Revise our laws\u00a0so businesses have the workers they need\u00a0and families don\u2019t wait decades to reunite.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not only the right thing to do\u2014it\u2019s the economically smart thing to do.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why immigration reform is supported by\u00a0everyone from labor unions to religious leaders to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s get it done once and for all.<\/p>\n Advancing liberty and justice\u00a0also requires protecting the rights of women.<\/p>\n The constitutional right affirmed in Roe v. Wade\u2014standing precedent for half a century\u2014is under attack\u00a0as never before.<\/p>\n If we want to go forward\u2014not backward\u2014we must protect access to health care.\u00a0Preserve a woman\u2019s right to choose.\u00a0And let\u2019s continue to advance\u00a0maternal health care in America.<\/p>\n And for our LGBTQ+ Americans, let\u2019s finally get the bipartisan Equality\u00a0Act\u00a0to my desk. The onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans and their families is wrong.<\/p>\n As I said last year, especially to our younger transgender Americans, I will always have your back as your President, so you can be yourself and reach your God-given potential.<\/p>\n While it often appears that we never agree, that isn\u2019t true. I signed 80 bipartisan bills into law last year. From preventing government shutdowns to protecting Asian-Americans from still-too-common hate crimes to reforming military justice.<\/p>\n And soon, we\u2019ll strengthen the Violence Against Women Act that I first wrote three decades ago. It is important for us to show the nation that we can come together and do big things.<\/p>\n So\u00a0tonight I\u2019m offering a Unity Agenda for the Nation.\u00a0Four big things we can do together.<\/p>\n First, beat the opioid epidemic.<\/p>\n There is so much we can do. Increase funding for prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery.<\/p>\n Get rid of outdated rules that stop doctors from prescribing treatments. And stop the flow of illicit drugs by working with state and local law enforcement to go after traffickers.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re suffering from addiction, know you are not alone. I believe in recovery,\u00a0and I celebrate the 23 million Americans\u00a0in recovery.<\/p>\n Second, let\u2019s take on mental health. Especially among our children,\u00a0whose lives and education have been turned upside down.<\/p>\n The American Rescue Plan gave schools money to hire teachers and help students make up for lost learning.<\/p>\n I urge every parent to make sure your school does just that.\u00a0And we can all play a part\u2014sign up to be a tutor or a mentor.<\/p>\n Children were also struggling before the pandemic. Bullying, violence,\u00a0trauma,\u00a0and the harms of social media.<\/p>\n As Frances Haugen, who is here with us tonight, has shown, we must hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they\u2019re conducting on our children for profit.<\/p>\n It\u2019s time to strengthen privacy protections,\u00a0ban targeted advertising to children,\u00a0demand tech companies stop collecting personal data on our\u00a0children.<\/p>\n And let\u2019s get all Americans the mental health services they need. More people they can turn to\u00a0for help,\u00a0and full parity between\u00a0physical and mental health care.<\/p>\n Third,\u00a0support our veterans.<\/p>\n Veterans are the best of us.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always believed that we have a sacred obligation to equip all those we send to war and care for them and their families when they come home.<\/p>\n My administration is providing assistance with job training and housing,\u00a0and now helping lower-income veterans\u00a0get VA care debt-free.<\/p>\n Our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan\u00a0faced many dangers.<\/p>\n One was stationed at bases and breathing in toxic smoke from \u201cburn pits\u201d that incinerated wastes of war\u2014medical and hazard material, jet fuel, and more.<\/p>\n When they came home,\u00a0many of the world\u2019s fittest<\/p>\n and best trained warriors\u00a0were never the same.<\/p>\n Headaches.\u00a0Numbness.\u00a0Dizziness.<\/p>\n A cancer that would put them in a flag-draped coffin.<\/p>\n I know.<\/p>\n One of those soldiers\u00a0was my son Major Beau Biden.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t know for sure if a burn pit was the cause of his brain\u00a0cancer,\u00a0or\u00a0the diseases of so many of our troops.<\/p>\n But I\u2019m committed to finding out everything we can.<\/p>\n Committed to military families like Danielle Robinson from Ohio.<\/p>\n The widow of Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson.<\/p>\n He was born a soldier.\u00a0Army National Guard.\u00a0Combat medic in Kosovo and Iraq.<\/p>\n Stationed near Baghdad,\u00a0just yards from burn pits the size of football fields.<\/p>\n Heath\u2019s widow Danielle is here with us tonight.\u00a0They loved going to Ohio State football games.\u00a0He loved building Legos with their daughter.<\/p>\n But cancer from prolonged exposure to burn pits ravaged Heath\u2019s lungs and body.<\/p>\n Danielle says Heath was a fighter to the very end.<\/p>\n He didn\u2019t know how to stop fighting,\u00a0and neither did she.<\/p>\n Through her pain she found purpose to demand we do better.<\/p>\n Tonight,\u00a0Danielle\u2014we are.<\/p>\n The VA is pioneering new ways of linking toxic exposures to diseases,\u00a0already helping more veterans get benefits.<\/p>\n And tonight,\u00a0I\u2019m announcing we\u2019re expanding eligibility\u00a0to veterans suffering from nine respiratory cancers.<\/p>\n I\u2019m also calling on Congress: pass a law to make sure veterans devastated by toxic exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they deserve.<\/p>\n And fourth,\u00a0let\u2019s end cancer as we know it.<\/p>\n This is personal to me and Jill,\u00a0to Kamala,\u00a0and to so many of you.<\/p>\n Cancer is the #2 cause of death in America \u2013<\/p>\n second only to heart disease.<\/p>\n Last month,\u00a0I announced our plan to supercharge<\/p>\n the Cancer Moonshot\u00a0that President Obama asked me to lead six years ago.<\/p>\n Our goal is to cut the cancer death rate by at least 50% over the next 25 years, turn more cancers from death sentences into\u00a0treatable diseases.<\/p>\n More support for patients and families.<\/p>\n To get there,\u00a0I call on Congress to fund ARPA-H,\u00a0the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.<\/p>\n It\u2019s based on DARPA\u2014the Defense Department project that led to the Internet, GPS, and so much more.<\/p>\n ARPA-H will have a singular purpose\u2014to drive breakthroughs in cancer,\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s,\u00a0diabetes,\u00a0and more.<\/p>\n A unity agenda for the nation.<\/p>\n We can do this.<\/p>\n My fellow Americans\u2014tonight , we have gathered in a sacred space\u2014the citadel of our democracy.<\/p>\n In this Capitol, generation after generation,\u00a0Americans have debated great questions amid great strife, and have done great things.<\/p>\n We have fought for freedom, expanded liberty,\u00a0defeated totalitarianism and terror.<\/p>\n And built the strongest,\u00a0freest,\u00a0and\u00a0most prosperous nation the world has ever known.<\/p>\n Now is the hour.<\/p>\n Our moment of responsibility.<\/p>\n Our test of resolve and conscience, of history itself.<\/p>\n It is in this moment that our character is formed.\u00a0Our purpose is found.\u00a0Our future is forged.<\/p>\n Well I know this nation.<\/p>\n We will meet the test.<\/p>\n To protect freedom and liberty,\u00a0to expand fairness and opportunity.<\/p>\n We will save democracy.<\/p>\n As hard as these times have been,\u00a0I am more optimistic about America today\u00a0than I have been my whole life.<\/p>\n Because I see the future that is within our grasp.<\/p>\n Because I know there is simply\u00a0nothing beyond our capacity.<\/p>\n We are the only nation on Earth that has always turned every crisis we have faced into an opportunity.<\/p>\n The only nation that can be defined by a single word:<\/p>\n possibilities.<\/p>\n So on this night,\u00a0in our 245th<\/sup>\u00a0year as a nation,\u00a0I have come to report on the State of the Union.<\/p>\n And my report is this:\u00a0the State of the Union is strong\u2014because you, the American people,\u00a0are strong.<\/p>\n We are stronger today than we were a year ago.<\/p>\n And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today.<\/p>\n Now is our moment to meet and overcome the challenges of our time.<\/p>\n And we will, as\u00a0one\u00a0people.<\/p>\n One America.<\/p>\n The United States of America.<\/p>\n May God bless you all.\u00a0May God protect our troops.<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The State of the Union address, March 1, 2020 US President Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union address tonight. It did not occur last year because of the Covid pandemic and potentially other concerns in the wake of the January 6, 2021 insurrection. With events then and since it would under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001004,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1001004"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13180"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13196,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13180\/revisions\/13196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldcampaign.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n