Joe Biden’s Second State of the Union Address: What to Expect & How to Counter Negative Approval Ratings
By President Joe Biden will deliver his second State of the Union address on Tuesday, looking to make a case for another term as president and to reflect on the accomplishments of his administration's last two years. The White House has announced the guests who will be joining first lady Dr. Jill Biden in her viewing box, and the guest list serves as a road map to the initiatives rolled out by Mr. Biden so far and his priorities for the coming months.[0]
As Biden gears up for his speech, he continues to be plagued by negative approval ratings. The Real Clear Politics polling average indicates that 44% of Americans approve of Biden's job performance, while 52% disapprove. The most recent polling average from FiveThirtyEight tells a similar story, with just 43% of Americans approving of the job Biden is doing as president and 52% disapproving.
Biden is expected to touch on a number of the most pressing issues in the US, including inflation, Covid-19, mass shootings, police reform and infrastructure.[1] He will also seek to remind lawmakers and the nation of his accomplishments, including the passage of the $1.2tn Bipartisan Infrastructure bill that was passed in 2021 and invests in repairing America’s roads and bridges, among other investments.[2]
Biden will renew his push for the policy to cap insulin prices at $35 per month for all Americans, a provision that was removed from the Inflation Reduction Act.[3] He will also call for expanding Medicaid coverage in the 11 states that have yet to do so, as well as proposing a quadrupling of the 1% tax on stock buybacks.[4]
In addition to his policy proposals, Biden will also call for Congress to work with him on non-controversial issues, like fighting cancer and opioid addiction. Arkansas Governor and former Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to Biden’s speech.[2]
At the end of the day, Biden’s State of the Union address is an opportunity for him to demonstrate that he can serve the country for another term. He will need to make clear his commitment to move forward despite the hostile Republican majority in the House and persuade Americans that his administration has achieved much since he took office.[5]
0. “State of the Union 2023: Tyre Nichols' family, Bono, Paul Pelosi among notable guests” CBS News, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-of-the-union-guests-biden-2023-tyre-nichols-family-bono-paul-pelosi
1. “5 things to know for Feb. 7: Biden, Earthquake, Train derailment, Immigration, Google” CNN, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/us/five-things-february-7-trnd/index.html
2. “House ethics committee investigating George Santos, Kevin McCarthy says – live” The Guardian US, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2023/feb/07/biden-state-of-union-2024-election-infrastructure-economy-politics-live-updates
3. “Biden to push for expanded insulin caps, Medicaid coverage in SOTU” Axios, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.axios.com/2023/02/07/biden-sotu-expanded-insulin-caps
4. “Biden to push for universal insulin price cap in State of the Union” POLITICO, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/06/biden-universal-insulin-price-cap-state-of-the-union-00081435
5. “Biden, Go Bold in the State of the Union” The Nation, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/biden-go-bold-in-the-state-of-the-union/
