President Joe Biden on Tuesday will deliver his second State of the Union address to likely his largest audience of the year.
Millions of Americans will focus their attention on Biden as he revels in his accomplishments, lays out the future of his agenda, and delivers striking calls for unity at a critical time for the U.S.
Atop the presidential priority list is a bevy of issues ranging from diplomacy abroad with Europe and Asia to domestic issues like the debt ceiling, gun violence, Covid-19, education, the ever-toiling economy, and much more.
Before the 2023 State of the Union address airs Tuesday night, here’s what you need to know.
What time does the State of the Union begin?
The 2023 State of the Union address will air Tuesday, February 7 at 9 p.m. ET.
Where can I watch the State of the Union address?
The 2020 State of the Union address will be live-streamed through the White House’s various social media accounts. Many of the major news broadcast networks will also carry the speech live, including CNN and ABC.
Click here to watch the address live.
What issues will Biden cover?
There is no shortage of topics the president could discuss. As Russia continues its brutal invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. is still dealing with the fallout from last week’s Chinese spy balloon incident, ratcheting tensions with major powers across two continents.
Biden has called for increased gun control measures after every mass shooting during his presidency. In 2023 alone, there have been over 60 mass shootings, according to Mass Shooting Tracker. After passing the first piece of gun legislation in three decades during the last Congress, Biden remains eager to take broader action on guns.
The management of the Covid-19 pandemic was one of the lynch pins that earned Biden the Oval Office in 2020, but as the public health emergency nears its expiration, America’s future with the virus remains murky. Nearly 500 Americans still die every week from Covid-19, according to the CDC, leaving cause to keep appropriate attention to the pandemic that Biden once declared “over.”
The White House last month paraded the fact that 26 million people had already applied or were automatically qualified for Biden’s student loan relief program. Now, despite the approval of over 15 million of those applicants, the fate of the president’s popular policy now rests at the gavel of the Supreme Court. Should the court rule in favor of the policy, millions of Americans would become eligible for up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness.
The majority of Biden’s address will likely focus on the economy. Coming less than a week after a blazing jobs report, Biden is likely to tout the fact that despite lingering inflationary and recession concerns, he has navigated the U.S. economy through both a pandemic and a costly war in Europe.
Who will deliver the Republican response?
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the GOP response to President Biden’s State of the Union address following the conclusion of his speech.
The party will also present Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani to deliver a response in Spanish, reigniting the trend following the last Spanish-language response in 2020, by Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar.
Will there be a Progressive response?
First-term Illinois Rep. Delia Ramirez will deliver a progressive response to Biden’s State of the Union address, following in last year’s break from tradition when Rep. Rashida Tlaib delivered a similar response.
Ramirez’s speech will be delivered on behalf of the liberal Working Families Party.
