Biden to Deliver State of the Union Feb. 7
WASHINGTON — Invitation sent, invitation accepted.
Minutes after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Friday invited President Joe Biden to deliver his annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Feb. 7, the president said he would be delighted.
Though the two men are sure to be at loggerheads over a number of issues the next two years — Biden has already vowed to veto a number of measures the newly Republican-controlled House passed this week, assuming those measures somehow squeak by the Democratically controlled Senate — they have so far proven to be dependably cordial in their direct communications.
“It is my solemn obligation to invite you to speak before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Feb.7, 2023, so that you may fulfill your duty under the Constitution to report on the state of the union,” McCarthy wrote in a letter later posted to Twitter. “Your remarks will inform our efforts to address the priorities of the American people.”
In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden “is grateful for and accepts Speaker McCarthy’s prompt invitation to address the peoples’ representatives in Congress.
“He looks forward to speaking with Republicans, Democrats and the country about how we can work together to continue building an economy that works from the bottom up and the middle out, keep boosting our competitiveness in the world, keep the American people safe, and bring the country together,” Jean-Pierre said.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
