Joe Biden’s State of the Union May Be Tarred By Democrat Infighting – President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address will take place on Tuesday. It will be an opportunity for the president to make the case to the American public that he and his party have done all that they can to improve living standards and manage the United States’ post-COVID economy recovery, but it will also be a day that exposes the deep fractures within the Democratic Party.
Here’s What Biden Will Say
Last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited President Joe Biden to deliver the annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, March 1.
In her January 7 letter, Pelosi thanked the president for his “bold vision and patriotic leadership” that have “guided America out of crisis and into an era of great progress.”
“Indeed, this past year has been historic: with the life-saving American Rescue Plan, once-in-a-century Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and, soon, the truly transformational Build Back Better Act!” she added.
The annual address given by the president of the United States to Congress was scaled down last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but after weeks of speculation of what the address may look like, all 535 members of the House of Representatives and United States Senate have been invited to attend the speech in the House chamber.
The House sergeant-at-arms announced on Thursday that all members will be required to wear a K/N95 mask throughout the speech and present a negative COVID test before entering the building.
Progressive “Squad” Member Rep. Rashida Tlaib Will Respond
Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan will respond to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on behalf of the working families Party, a minor left-wing political party. In the speech, Tlaib is expected to criticize moderate Democrats who have stood in the way of the party’s efforts to pass new climate change and spending packages, and so-called “voting rights” legislation.
POLITICO reports that Tlaib will praise the president’s stimulus bill while also making the case that liberals have pushed his agenda aggressively. She will also reportedly claim that Republicans and a small number of Congressional Democrats have purposely blocked progress on lowering the cost of prescription drugs, health care, and housing.
In a statement to POLITICO, Tlaib said that progressives have fought harder than anybody for “Build Back Better and a pro-democracy agenda.”
“The work is unfinished and we’re not giving up on what our communities deserve,” she added.
Tlaib is also expected to name certain Democrats. They will likely be moderate Democratic Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both of whom opposed large parts of the president’s proposed Build Back Better legislation.
Maurice Mitchell, the national director of the Working Families Party, said that they are “clear about who and why the agenda is incomplete.”
Her response may serve to fracture her party even further – particularly given that she will be making the comments on behalf of another political party.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and report on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
