On March 7, President Biden addressed the nation in a State of the Union address. During an election year, the State of the Union is often considered an essential aspect of defining the party platform. As an incumbent, it was also a major opportunity for President Biden to outline his plan for another four years in office. President Biden addressed the nation amidst widespread criticism of his Administration’s foreign and domestic affairs policies.
Key Topics in the 2024 State of the Union Address
President Biden discussed several key topics central to his own and the Democratic party’s platform. These included:
The State of Democracy
The State of the Union address started out with a conversation on the current state of Democracy. President Biden was inaugurated immediately following the capital insurrection on January 6, 2021. Since then, he has made many significant speeches on the state of democracy in the United States. During the State of the Union, President Biden spoke directly to the current state of affairs. With regard to the upcoming 2024 election, President Biden declared that the U.S. is facing “the biggest threat to democracy since the Civil War.”
Reproductive Justice
President Biden often discusses his staunch pro-choice beliefs. This was no different throughout the State of the Union. President Biden called out his presidential predecessor for his role in Roe v. Wade being overturned. He also slammed the Republican Party’s interest in voting for a federal ban on abortion access, discussing the dangers of such a proposal. In response, President Biden called for increased federal protections for reproductive healthcare. He promised the American people that, if elected, he would protect the right to abortion and ensure abortion medications are available via the U.S. Postal Service.
Job Creation and the Inflation Reduction Act
President Biden entered office in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Administration’s successes in COVID-19 response and recovery were a key aspect of the State of the Union address. He boasted about recovery efforts and how the country has emerged from quarantine with full access to COVID-19 vaccines.
The President also discussed increased employment rates. Over the past four years, the U.S. has seen the highest rates of job creation in the country’s history. With fifteen million jobs created in just three years, President Biden has seen the highest job creation rate of any U.S. president.
Job growth is due in large part to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a key success of Biden’s term as president. The IRA flooded state governments and the federal government with economic investments, clean energy programs, and job creation projects.
Support for Unions
Throughout his political career, President Biden has been a major supporter of Unions. In the State of the Union address, he boasted to the crowd that he was the first U.S. President to cross a picket line in support of a workers’ union. President Biden also spoke to the experiences of the middle class, including the difficulties they have faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The middle class has endured challenges from a reduction in policies protecting them. They’ve also had fewer opportunities to unionize. President Biden concluded this portion of his address by exclaiming: “the middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class.”
The Economy
President Biden discussed the state of the economy in the United States. Since taking office, the President has signed off on and implemented policies aiming to reduce inflation across the country. He’s also supported efforts to increase job availability. President Biden stated: “wages are on the up, and inflation is on the down.”
Healthcare and New Policy Proposals
President Biden touted his ability to secure a reduction in insulin prices to no more than $35 per month for seniors on Medicare. As President, Biden has secured the passage of this measure through Congress. He has also advocated for the application of this policy throughout the United States.
On the topic of healthcare, President Biden also encouraged Congress to work with him to pass a bill allowing Medicare to negotiate prices on more than 500 essential medications. These policy proposals and passages are key goals for the Administration, as they hope to build on the legacy of Obamacare.
Housing and New Policy Proposals
The President discussed the ongoing housing crisis faced by renters, owners, and buyers across the country. He proposed a policy that would give homeowners $400 per month over the next two years to apply towards their mortgages. For renters, President Biden pointed to provisions within the IRA to build affordable housing in neighborhoods in need. In laying the groundwork for these proposals, President Biden is also signaling to Americans what another term as President would look like.
The State of Education
President Biden is a staunch supporter of public education. His wife, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, is a former public school educator and continues to advocate for education. In the State of the Union address, President Biden focused on many topics related to education.
The President signaled his support for early childhood education and universal access to preschool. He stating that students who finish preschool are more likely to finish high school and achieve a two to four year degree, no matter their background.
President Biden also mentioned his ongoing effort to decrease student loan debt, and already providing essential workers in the U.S. such as firefighters, teachers, and medics with student loan debt decreases. Last summer, the Supreme Court thwarted his efforts to cancel a significant portion of the student loan debt that plagues many Americans.
Next, President Biden informed viewers about measures to increase access to education for marginalized communities. The Administration has increased Pell Grants for low-income students. The President also announced investments in Historically Black Colleges and Hispanic Serving Institutions.
Finally, President Biden called for increased support for public school teachers. He unequivocally announced: “Public school teachers need a raise.”
A Re-Framing of the State of Immigration
President Biden reframed the issue of immigration from how Republicans typically discuss it. Republicans often frame immigration as a crisis of too many individuals crossing the border, seeking refugee status, asylum, or formal green cards. President Biden framed immigration as an issue of an underfunded legal and social immigration system within the United States.
The President outlined a proposal to hire hundreds more immigration case workers, lawyers, and judges. With increased staffing, the Administration hopes that court cases can go from a six-month wait to just six weeks.
The response to this proposal highlighted partisan divides on the issue of immigration. It was met with heckling from Republicans and cheers from Democrats. As such, it’s likely that this will be a highly contested policy.
Foreign Affairs
In the last portion of the Address, President Biden spoke about the ongoing conflicts internationally. Addressing his continued support for Ukraine and speaking to the aggression occurring in Gaza. Israel’s response to attacks by Hamas in October of 2023 has dominated public debate in the United States. The President began his speech by stating that Israel has the right to “go after” Hamas. He also voiced support for the return of hostages within Gaza.
Afterwards, President Biden declared that Israel has the responsibility to protect innocent civilians within Gaza. These statements come after more than one hundred days of ongoing conflict within Gaza. More than 35,000 men, women, and children have been killed, and thousands more have been injured.
President Biden urged Israel to stop blocking humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza. He also shared that the U.S. plans to create a temporary dock on the coast of Gaza to aid in the distribution of humanitarian aid. The President concluded his discussion of the topic by encouraging a six-week ceasefire in Gaza and exclaiming the necessity of a two-state solution.
The President’s remarks on Israel and Gaza were met with a variety of reactions, both from viewers at home and legislators in the crowd. The conflict between Israel and Palestinians is a hotly contested topic within the United States. Many Americans believe Israel is defending itself against Hamas. Many others view what is happening in Gaza as a genocide, especially following the International Court of Justice’s interim decision. A few Democratic legislators in the crowd held signs asking the President to call for a lasting ceasefire.
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