In his State of the Union Address, delivered on the evening of March 7, President Joe Biden opened by referring to the speech made by Former President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941, in which he stated, “The freedom of democracy is under assault.” Biden insinuated that the freedom of democracy has not been under its current degree of assault in the United States and overseas since the threat posed by Adolf Hitler.
Russia-Ukraine War:
Vladimir Putin of Russia is invading Ukraine, which ensues chaos throughout Europe. According to Biden, the U.S. must stand with Ukraine by providing weaponry. He referenced a recent statement made by Former President Donald Trump, which indicates that he told a European leader that Russia should be able to “do whatever the hell they want.”
Biden praised the strength of NATO and welcomed Finland to the military alliance of democratic nations. Sweden joined on the morning of March 7, and the nation’s prime minister was present.
Insurrection:
Biden described the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection as the “darkest of days.” Biden claims the rioters’ attempt to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power served as the gravest threat to U.S. democracy since the Civil War.
Reproductive Rights:
Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. On Feb. 6, 2024, the Alabama Supreme Court shut down IVF treatments across the state. The ramifications are nationwide. The Texas ban on abortion prevented a woman named Kate Cox from Dallas from receiving the proper medical care when her life was at risk, causing her to leave the state. Biden blames Trump for the Supreme Court decision and described Vice President Kamala Harris as an advocate for reproductive freedom.
“If you, the American people, send me a congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again,” said Biden.
Pandemic:
Nearly four years ago, over one million American lives were lost when the worst pandemic and economic crisis of the century struck the U.S. As a silver lining, Biden mentioned that COVID-19 vaccines are now used to treat cancer.
In the past three years, 15 million new jobs have been created, and 16 million Americans have opened small businesses. There are 800,000 new manufacturing jobs in the country, and wages are increasing. Inflation, currently the lowest in the world, has dropped from 5% to 3%.
Biden is pushing for a future where the trickle-down economics come to an end, and as will tax breaks for the largest, wealthiest companies.
Healthcare:
Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere else in the world. Biden proposed and signed a law granting Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for prescription medication. His goal is to “beat big pharma.” Instead of drug companies charging approximately $400 a month for insulin, which takes $10 to manufacture, those with diabetes pay a total of $35.
“We will no longer have to pay those exorbitant prices to big pharma. This year, Medicare is negotiating lower prices for some of the costliest drugs on the market, which treat everything from heart disease to arthritis,” Biden said. “It is now time to go further and give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for 500 different drugs over the next decade.”
Regarding Trump’s intention to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Biden guarantees he will not allow that to happen and seeks to protect and expand it.
First Lady Jill Biden is leading the first white house initiative on women’s health research.
Education:
Biden wants to ensure preschool opportunities for all three and four-year-olds in America. People who attend school before kindergarten are 50% more likely to finish high school and pursue higher education regardless of their background. He emphasized that the path toward a better-educated workforce is to expand high-quality tutoring and summer school programs so that every child learns to read by third grade.
He also touched on making college education more affordable by increasing the Pell Grants offered to working and middle-class families. During Biden’s time in office, he fixed two loan programs to reduce the burden of student debt for four billion Americans.
Taxes:
Biden supports an annual tax credit that would provide Americans with $400 a month for the next two years as mortgage rates begin to decrease steadily. The federal deficit was cut by over one trillion dollars, and Biden’s goal is to decrease the sum to less than three trillion dollars.
He shared that the last administration enacted a two trillion dollar tax code, greatly benefiting the top 1%. Trump added more to the national debt in his time in office than any other presidential term in U.S. history. Among the 1000 billionaires in the nation, their federal tax is 8.2%, which is less than what the vast majority of Americans pay.
International Security.
In November, Biden’s team negotiated a bipartisan bill that enacted the strictest set of border security forms thus far. High-tech drug detection machines are used to prevent vehicles from smuggling fentanyl into the U.S. The bill was endorsed by the Border Patrol Unit as well as the Federal Chamber of Commerce.
Climate Change:
Biden promises to cut carbon emissions in half and conserve 30% of American land and water by 2030. He launched the Climate Corps in 2023, which trains and employs 20,000 young people in clean energy efforts.
Shootings:
Biden established the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, led by Harris, in the White House. He demands a ban on assault weapons and universal background checks, claiming neither of which violates the Second Amendment of one’s right to bear arms.
Israel-Palestine Conflict:
On Oct. 7, 1,200 innocent people were killed, and 215 hostages were taken in the Hamas attack on Israel.
“Israel has an added burden because Hamas hides and operates among the civilian population like cowards. Under hospitals, daycare centers and all the like,” said Biden. Israel also has a fundamental responsibility, though, to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.”
The backlash has taken more of a toll on innocent civilians in Palestine than all previous wars in Gaza combined. Over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom are not Hamas. 2 million people are under bombardment and displacement across cities in ruin.
Biden assures that he is working to establish a six-week ceasefire to release all prisoners and hostages. He is also directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission that would implement a temporary pier under the coast of Gaza, with the capacity to receive large shipments of food, water, medicine and temporary shelters.
As the first American president to visit Israel in wartime, Biden declared that the only real answer is an eventual two-state solution.
