Biden Takes Bold Stand in State of the Union, Boebert Heckles

WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden delivered a 62-minute State of the Union speech Tuesday night in which he vowed to defeat inflation, tamp out the remnants of the coronavirus, and stand firm against Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Talk of bipartisanship and how Republicans and Democrats alike share “an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny” even inspired a sustained standing ovation from both sides of the aisle.

“I have come to report on the state of the union,” Biden said at the beginning of his remarks. “And my report is this: The state of the union is strong — because you, the American people, are strong. We are stronger today than we were a year ago. And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today.”

But the divisiveness of the political era once again reared its ugly head near the conclusion of his remarks when Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., rose and loudly blamed Biden for the deaths of the 13 service members who were killed during the U.S. withdrawal in Afghanistan.

The president had reached a somber point in his address, talking about the death of his son Beau, who died of cancer that may have been caused by toxic exposure injuries from military burn pits used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“A cancer that put them in a flag-draped coffin” Biden said. At that point, Boebert interrupted with, “You put them in. Thirteen of them!”

With that, boos rained down from Democrats.

When the president first began contemplating his first State of the Union address this year, he intended it to focus mainly on domestic issues. That notion was erased last week when Russia invaded Ukraine.

In Tuesday’s speech, Biden highlighted the bravery of Ukrainian defenders and a newly reinvigorated Western alliance that has worked to rearm the Ukrainian military and cripple Russia’s economy through sanctions.

He acknowledged costs to the American economy as well, but warned ominously that without consequences, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression wouldn’t be contained to Ukraine.

“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos,” Biden said. “They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising.”

Biden announced that the U.S. is following Canada and the European Union in banning Russian planes from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. He also said the Justice Department was launching a task force to go after Russian oligarchs, whom he called “corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime.”

“We are coming for your ill-gotten gains,” he said.

On the domestic front, Biden said he plans to address inflation by reinvesting in American manufacturing capacity, speeding supply chains and reducing the burden of childcare and eldercare on workers.

“Too many families are struggling to keep up with the bills,” Biden said. “Inflation is robbing them of the gains they might otherwise feel. I get it. That’s why my top priority is getting prices under control.”

The president cast a spotlight on federal investments in internet broadband access and road and bridge construction through the passage of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law as an example of both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue working to reach consensus and deliver for the American people.

And he made clear, he’d like to achieve a similar consensus on a wide range of issues over the next year.

Much of the domestic agenda Biden rolled out Tuesday night was his Build Back Better plan divided into smaller, and perhaps, more digestible portions for consumption on Capitol Hill.

In a bid to woo midterm voters, Biden stressed the importance of extending the child tax credit and bringing down child care costs that could bring relief to families as prices rise.

Biden also called for lowering health care costs, pitching an extension of more generous health insurance subsidies now temporarily available through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces where 14.5 million people get coverage.

And he led Congress in a bipartisan tribute to retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and highlighted the biography of federal judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, his nominee to be the first Black woman on the high court.

Where Biden spoke of resolve, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who delivered the Republican response, questioned the president’s leadership, accusing him of having sent the nation back to an earlier era when inflation was high and the world was overshadowed by a Cold War with the Soviet Union.

“Instead of moving America forward, it feels like Biden and his party have sent us back in time to the late ’70s and early ’80s, when runaway inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing on our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map,” Reynolds said.

Biden heads to Wisconsin today in a post-State of the Union bid to build momentum behind the policy proposals he unveiled last night.

Among other stops, he’ll visit the wrought-iron bridge that connects Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, across the St. Louis Bay. The bridge is currently slated for much-needed repairs paid for by the infrastructure law.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.