Biden invited to give State of the Union speech in early March
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The speech will give President Joe Biden a chance to lay out his 2024 agenda as he seeks a second term in office.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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WASHINGTON – United States President Joe Biden has been invited to give his State of the Union address to Congress on March 7, a relatively late date that places the speech after the Super Tuesday primaries and any early 2024 congressional showdown over federal funding.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who issued the invitation to Mr Biden in a letter posted to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, said it comes at a “moment of great challenge for our country”.
The speech will give Mr Biden a chance to lay out his 2024 agenda as he seeks a second term and potentially to draw a contrast with his likely Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump.
The two men squared off on Jan 5 in duelling speeches keyed to the third anniversary of the deadly Jan 6 storming of the US Capitol
In 2023’s State of the Union address, Mr Biden prioritised calls for unity as a partisan deadlock over the federal debt ceiling threatened a US sovereign default. Some Republicans heckled him in 2023 after he claimed that some members of their party wanted to cut Medicare and Social Security.
Congress remains in talks with the White House over legislation to fund the government long term. Republicans have demanded significant changes to immigration policy before approving any substantial aid overseas, including to allies Ukraine and Israel, as the deadline for a government shutdown draws nearer. BLOOMBERG
