The pressure will be on the president Joe Biden Tuesday night as he delivered a speech on the state of the Union to an anxious nation as he tried to increase his huge polls and restart his internal agenda.
Washington prepares for protests as Biden outlines vision for Americans weary of covid pandemic worried about record highs inflation and rattled by Vladimir Putinnuclear threats.
Biden’s approval rating reached one of the lowest points of his presidency, with only 37% saying they approve of the work he does, according to Washington Post-ABC News poll published on Sunday with 55% disapproval.
Even more worrying is that 54% say Biden’s economy is worse, and 36% say they are worse off.
And 61 percent of Americans say Biden hasn’t kept most of his promises Yahoo News / YouGov survey.
Meanwhile, 36% of voters said in a CBS News poll that things were going “very badly” in America, and only 27% said things were going “somewhat well.” And 63% describe the economy as “bad”.
The US Capitol is seen through a temporary security fence, and Washington is preparing for protests over President Biden’s speech on the state of the Union on Tuesday night.
A National Guard vehicle can be seen near the White House – the National Guard is on duty while New York and Philadelphia police come to Washington to help with security.
The House of Representatives, where Biden will make his remarks, face masks will be optional according to new CDC rules
In the House of Representatives on Tuesday night, face masks are optional according to the CDC’s new, relaxed guidelines, but attendance will still be limited: all members of Congress are eligible to attend this year, unlike the 200 who were in Biden’s joint address to Congress in April 2021. However, no MP will be allowed to bring a guest.
Six of the nine Supreme Court judges are also expected to attend, after only one was invited to a speech in April. About 20 cabinet officials are scheduled to attend. First Lady Jill Biden’s lodge can accommodate up to eight guests, said a planner The Washington Post.
Everyone who attends will need to take a covid test in advance.
Meanwhile, a temporary steel fence wrapped up a four-acre Capitol Hill complex and military vehicles patrolled the streets as the city prepares for truck protests, angered by mandates for face masks and covid restrictions.
The DC National Guard is on standby. A bus carrying about 100 police officers from New York arrived on Monday. Philadelphia police are also available, and Baltimore officers are on standby.
“While there is a possibility that some may come to our city with the intention of going beyond what is permitted as a constitutional right and seeking to engage in illegal acts or acts of civil disobedience, I hope that our city’s guests will abide by the laws of the District of Columbia Said Colombia County Police Chief Robert J. Accounts III. “I want to be very clear that we are ready to take swift action by law enforcement to violate our local and federal laws, if necessary.”
A group filed a permit with the National Parks Office to protest at the Washington Monument on March 1, the day Biden gave his address. Initially, the permit said there could be up to 3,000 protesters in support of the Canadian truck protests.
By Monday, the estimated number of participants had dropped to 500 for the demonstration from noon to 8 pm, which will include speeches, music and prayer, according to the permit.
Biden addresses the nation at 9 p.m. ET.
The People’s Convoy, another protest group, left Southern California on Wednesday but is not expected to arrive in the Washington area until March 5th.
President Biden to address economy, record high inflation and situation in Ukraine
The sun rises over the dome of the US Capitol before Biden’s speech
A truck is used to control access to roads near the US Capitol
A woman passes her baby past a military vehicle in front of potential convoys of trucks and increased security in front of the Capitol Hill Union State
U.S. Capitol police officers gather in the eastern front square of the Capitol
Initially, the president intended to focus on his legislative agenda, economic plans and the Covid pandemic in his speeches, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine turned the tide.
Biden will discuss the administration’s work to help Ukraine and its efforts to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin with sanctions.
“I think people can expect to hear him position this as the importance of the United States as a world leader, to stand up for values, to stand up for global norms,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday.
The speech comes when his signed Back Build Better bill is suspended in the Senate and almost dead after Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin refused to support it, citing fears of its closure.
Biden is expected to send a good mood message to the economy, citing a record low unemployment rate, rising wages and the creation of more than six million jobs since taking office.
But that message has been mitigated by high spending on goods and services: inflation is at a record 7.5 percent in the United States.
He will use the word “inflation” in his remarks.
“The president will absolutely use the word inflation tomorrow and he will talk about inflation in his speech, of course, this is a huge problem in the minds of Americans,” Psaki said.
In particular, Biden will call on Congress to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by $ 2,000, raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 per hour and create a national paid family leave program.
Biden will also urge Congress to adopt housing, education and climate reforms as part of a four-point plan focusing on “doing more in America”; reduction of daily expenses; “Promoting fair competition”; and “removing barriers to well-paid jobs” according to a reference from the administration.
Many of his ideas will reflect those in Build Back Better, his social services legislation for approximately $ 2 trillion.
But the name of his signed legislation may not appear.
“It’s not about the name of the bill,” a senior administration official said Monday during a briefing with reporters. – It’s about ideas. It’s about cutting costs for families.
Biden will also set out a “unity agenda,” senior officials said Tuesday, focusing on policy areas “where there has historically been support from both Republicans and Democrats.”
The president will launch a strategy to tackle the country’s mental health crisis, blaming social media platforms for the crisis.
But officials would not say whether the president would push for sanctions on huge companies such as Twitter and Facebook.
“The president believes that technology companies should be held accountable for the damage they cause,” the official said, but did not elaborate.
Biden will also urge the Senate to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first black woman in the Supreme Court. He nominated her last week.
He will also look at the covid pandemic, pointing out where the country is compared to where it was a year ago.
The pandemic is an area in which voters have consistently praised Biden – although Americans are also expressing fatigue with the demands for face masks and other mandates designed to help stop the spread of the disease.