Last night, President Joe Biden stood before a joint session of the 118th Congress to give his State of the Union address. The President set forth his vision for the coming two years, and he tried again to appeal to those who disagree with his policies or are otherwise unhappy with the direction of the country.
This was President Biden’s first State of the Union with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on the dais. With this divided government, President Biden and congressional lawmakers may have a difficult time threading the needle for successful legislative action this year. Time will be an enemy, and success will come from bipartisanship. Two issues will take precedence in headlines in the coming months: the debt ceiling and China.