2023 State of the Union.

News | Konor Nichols | February 14th, 2023.

On February 7, 2023, President Biden delivered his State of the Union speech to congressmen. This speech is usually given annually by the President to address the nation's issues and make suggestions for policies to address such issues. This year’s address shed light on current partisan and bi-partisan issues, brought attention to his current administration’s accomplishments, and of course, pitched his 2024 campaign for re-election.

First, the bipartisan issues addressed in his speech included addressing the opioid epidemic and increasing access to mental health. However, the night was anything but bi-partisan, as Biden also addressed many democratically partisan issues, such as banning assault weapons, fortifying abortion rights, a new tax for billionaires, and the protection of labor unions. It was issues like these that brought about heckles from republican congressmen, some even going as far as to blame Biden for some of the issues he addressed. One of the most striking examples was Republican Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who shouted, “It’s your fault,” to imply that Biden was to blame for the 70,000 American deaths from fentanyl.

Despite Biden’s low approval ratings and many democrats being unenthused with the prospect of his reelection, Biden seized the opportunity to give his reelection campaign a test drive, claiming credit for many advances made during his presidency thus far. Some of these remarks included: creating new jobs, lowering unemployment, passing Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passing laws to safeguard veterans from toxic substances, signing the Violence Against Women Act, Electoral Count Reform Act, and the Respect for Marriage Act. And to seal the deal, Biden tried to rally support with his favorite battle cry of the night, “[let’s] finish the job,” which he used 12 times throughout the night.

Although Biden has yet to announce his campaign for reelection, this State of the Union Speech was widely viewed as him trying to rally support and boost his ratings before his announcement, which is expected to come very soon.