President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Amidst Russian Invasion

President Joe Biden faces the difficult task tonight of trying to deliver a message of hope and optimism to a nation that is exhausted from two years of COVID-19 restrictions, feeling the pain of the highest inflation rate in 40 years and alarmed by Russia’s brazen attack on its neighbor.

Without question, the President will devote a significant portion of his first State of the Union address to the invasion of Ukraine and the world’s near-unified condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Biden will also spend time on his domestic policy and try to show that Americans are, in many important ways, better off now than when he first took office.

It’s expected that he will talk about the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package that he signed into law, and will single out portions of his Build Back Better plan that he believes also has bipartisan support and can be salvaged this Congress.

In a letter to Mr. Biden, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK4) advised him to stay away from bringing up any of his failed domestic initiatives.

“Mr. President, don’t waste your time talking about issues like the American Rescue Plan, H.R. 1 and the Build Back Better proposal,” Rep. Cole wrote. “No Republicans supported nor will support any of those proposals. But the entire country will support a robust response to Russian aggression.”

“To rally America, Mr. President, you need to focus on things that unite us rather than divide us. Specifically, you should announce still tougher sanctions against Russia, suspend the purchase of Russian oil, propose more lethal and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and continue to bolster the forward deployment of NATO forces in NATO front line countries.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only about 200 people were in the chamber for Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress a year ago. All members are invited this year and masks will not be required for all who are vaccinated.

Oklahoma Congressman Kevin Hern intends to go and says Biden has a chance to make up for some of the mistakes of his first year.

“The president has the opportunity tonight, everybody in the world will be watching,” Rep. Hern said in an interview Tuesday morning. “He has the chance to put us back in a leadership position, that’s what I would hope to see — President Biden be the leader that he has not been so far.”