State of the Union 2022 - Boebert doubles down on heckle as veteran’s widow calls for her removal
As it happened: Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address to Congress
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Joe Biden has woken up an encouraging reception for his first State of the Union address, which snap polling says met with the approval of more than two-thirds of Americans – a rare bit of good news for a president whose ratings remain underwater.
Mr Biden at times received bipartisan standing applause in the House chamber last night, especially during his remarks on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Putin’s war was premeditated and unprovoked,” the president said. “He rejected efforts at diplomacy. He thought the West and Nato wouldn’t respond. And, he thought he could divide us here at home. Putin was wrong. We were ready.”
However, progressives have given a lukewarm reception to the domestic elements of Mr Biden’s speech, in which he promised to “fund the police” while declining to go as far as some wanted on key issues like immigration.
Speaking on MSNBC, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that “there’s some themes that are left a little bit to be desired for key constituencies in the Democratic base, but the president’s goal was very clear on really projecting a theme of unity and I think he’s still stuck to that.”
Meanwhile, the White House has hit back at heckling from far-right Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, with Press Secretary Jen Psaki remarking that their shouting at the president “says a lot more about them” than it does about the substance of his speech.
Joe Manchin mingles with the GOP
Senator Joe Manchin, who along with Kyrsten Sinema is responsible for obstructing Joe Biden’s agenda in Congress, spent last night’s State of the Union seated among Republican colleagues rather than with his own party.
This made for awkward viewing, not least when Mr Biden banged the drum for the climate and social spending package Mr Manchin scorned after months of negotiations.
Trump derides SOTU as “snoozefest” in fundraising email
Donald Trump’s Save America PAC has sent out a fundraising email off the back of last night’s speech by Joe Biden. It follows one of the organisation’s usual templates, thinly disguising a call for donations as a click-through “survey” while bombarding the reader with bold, underlined and italic text (sometimes all three at once).
Here’s the message:
You are always someone I can count on to tell me the truth. You’ve never failed me when I needed you the most. Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union Address. We can’t trust what HE says, so I want to know what real Patriots, like YOU, think about the State of OUR Union. I urgently need your input on a critical survey that my team just launched...
Gingrich slams SOTU address on Fox
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose incendiary political leadership in the 1990s sent the GOP down the path to where it is today, has torn into Joe Biden’s speech, telling Fox News’s Sean Hannity: “This was a very dangerous speech because either Joe Biden believed in the speech, in which case he's out of touch with reality, or it was a deliberate lie to the American people, lie after lie after lie.”
Mr Gingrich also said that “this is the last time we'll see Nancy Pelosi at a State of the Union”. She has in fact announced she’s running for re-election this year in her ultra-safe San Francisco district.
Flashback: Biden responds to SOTU...in 1984
Andrew Kaczynski digs up a piece of extra-resonant State of the Union ephemera:
Whoopi Goldberg takes on Lauren Boebert
The hosts of The View earlier discussed the heckling of Joe Biden during last night’s address – and they didn’t hold back.
No mention of student debt in SOTU despite progressive pressure
President Joe Biden did not mention student loans at all in his State of the Union address, much to the dismay of many progressive Democrats, who have wanted him to cancel student loans.
Mr Biden only mentioned higher education briefly in his remarks.
“Let’s increase Pell Grants and increase our historic support of HBCUs, and invest in what Jill – our first lady who teaches full-time – calls America’s best-kept secret: community colleges,” he said. Mr Biden’s wife Dr Jill Biden is a professor at a community college.
Biden fails to mention student loans in State of the Union despite progressive push
Many progressive Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have backed canceling student loan debt
GOP congressman refuses to condemn SOTU heckling
Republican Representative James Comer said he shared the frustrations of Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene who heckled President Joe Biden during the State of the Union speech.
The congressman refused to outright condemn their behaviour during an appearance on MSNBC and even went as far as claiming he had heard Democrats behave the same way during the Trump administration.
Judiciary Committee hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to begin 21 March
Judiciary Committee Chair Senator Dick Durbin has announced that hearings to consider the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court will begin on 21 March and last four days.
President Biden spoke of her nomination during the State of the Union address.
And we all know -- no matter what your ideology, we all know one of the most serious constitutional responsibilities a President has is nominating someone to serve on the United States Supreme Court. As I did four days ago, I’ve nominated a Circuit Court of Appeals -- Ketanji Brown Jackson. One of our nation’s top legal minds who will continue in Justice Breyer’s legacy of excellence. A former top litigator in private practice, a former federal public defender from a family of public-school educators and police officers -- she’s a consensus builder. Since she’s been nominated, she’s received a broad range of support, including the Fraternal Order of Police and former judges appointed by Democrats and Republicans.
Did SOTU address include enough war rallying for Ukraine?
NBC News anchor Chuck Todd argued that Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address may not “age well” because it did not include enough war rallying for Ukraine.
Graig Graziosi reports.
NBC News anchor fears Biden’s State of the Union may not ‘age well’
Mr Todd wanted the president to explain why Ukraine is “our fight”
White House confirms further Russia sanctions
The White House has confirmed further sanctions against Russia and Belarus following the State of the Union speech in which President Joe Biden said more measures were coming.
Rolling out today are:
- Sweeping restrictions on Belarus to choke off its import of technological goods in response to its support of Putin’s war of choice.
- Full blocking sanctions on 22 Russian defense entities, imposing significant costs on weapon development and production companies.
- Export controls targeting oil refining, a key revenue source that supports the Russian military, that will impede Russia’s refining capacity over the long term.
- Measures targeting entities that support the Russian and Belarusian militaries.
- Banning Russian aircraft from entering and using domestic US airspace.
As the President announced during his address to Congress, the US will close off American air space to all Russian flights – further isolating Russia – and adding an additional squeeze on its economy. This includes aircraft certified, operated, registered or controlled by any person connected with Russia. This includes revoking all Russian airlines’ – both passenger and cargo – ability to operate to and from US destinations, as well as refusing entry of any Russian-operated aircraft into US airspace.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments