Joe Biden will speak to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening against the backdrop of renewed tensions with China and a brewing showdown with House Republicans over raising the federal debt ceiling.
(Bloomberg) — Joe Biden will speak to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening against the backdrop of renewed tensions with China and a brewing showdown with House Republicans over raising the federal debt ceiling.
The downing of a Chinese surveillance balloon that is hampering efforts to improve ties with Beijing and the specter of a US default that threatens to wreak havoc on the US economy will have investors, diplomats and lawmakers looking for reassurance as the president juggles two challenges with international ramifications.
The president is also expected to highlight the accomplishments of his first two years in office — including his landmark climate and health law and infrastructure package — and chart his vision for the year ahead in the State of the Union, according to White House officials.
Biden stayed at Camp David over the weekend and into Monday afternoon to work on the speech with a team of senior advisers, and White House officials said he will likely be making changes until it is delivered.
“I want to talk to the American people and let them know the state of affairs,” the president told reporters Monday. “What’s going on, why, what I’m looking forward to working on from this point on, what we’ve done, and just have a conversation with the American people.”
Read More: Biden to Face Wary Democrats, Angry GOP in Test of 2024 Message
Biden aims to use the address to test drive his 2024 campaign message in front of tens of millions of voters who will be watching on television and begin chipping away at polls that show most voters disapprove of his presidency. The president has yet to officially announce his reelection run, but in recent weeks he has used a sharper tone against Republicans at a series of campaign-style events, painting them as extreme and out of touch with Americans’ concerns.
Biden plans to call for a minimum tax on billionaires and quadrupling the levy on stock buybacks, items that stand little chance of passing through the divided Congress but could resonate with the public. Biden will also nod at the “economic anxiety” many Americans are facing while also explaining how his policies will improve their situations, White House economic adviser Brian Deese said Monday.
Biden will “make a clear contrast to the trickle-down economic philosophy that has pervaded thinking for years and decades in the past,” Deese said.
Biden is also expected to address other hot-button issues, including the war in Ukraine and policing overhaul efforts in the wake of the killing of Tyre Nichols. Nichols’s mother and stepfather are among more than a dozen guests of First Lady Jill Biden, and among a group that includes U2 singer Bono — who will highlight US efforts to combat HIV/AIDS — and Paul Pelosi, who late last year was attacked by a hammer-wielding home intruder who was searching for his wife, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Other guests hinted at likely legislative priorities Biden will champion during the speech, from abortion rights to an assault weapons ban. And Biden is expected to again pitch “unity” efforts – including cancer research, treating fentanyl abuse, and mental health funding.
Biden has also invited Ambassador of Ukraine Oksana Markarova to once again attend the event, underscoring his intention to press lawmakers to continue the flow of aid and arms to her country.
“Safe to say as he speaks to the American people and to members of Congress tomorrow night that, that he will talk about his efforts to reassert American leadership on the world stage,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
After the speech, Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and a group of Cabinet officials plan to take their message on the road. Their post-speech travel “blitz” planned by the White House will see them visit 20 states and host more than 30 events.
The president will travel to the Madison, Wisconsin, area Wednesday. On Thursday, he’ll head to Tampa, Florida, a major vote center in the home state of Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential Republican opponent in 2024.
Earlier: Biden, Cabinet Plot Post-State of the Union Travel ‘Blitz’
Biden has work to do to ensure that his message resonates with the public.
More than six in 10 Americans do not believe the president has accomplished much during his first two years in office, despite Congress’s passage of major legislation under Democratic control, according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll.
–With assistance from Justin Sink.
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