Embedded Files
Evan Tucker walks us through a review of the State of The Union address as he summarizes Joe Biden's message in this Mar. 1, 2022 State of the Union.
2022 state of the union recap
2022 state of the union recap
By Evan Tucker
By Evan Tucker
Introduction
Introduction
On Mar. 1, 2022, President Joe Biden delivered his annual State of the Union address in the House Chamber during a time of international turmoil. The speech was being given as the Ukrainian people were simultaneously suffering at the hands of the Russian government’s war crimes. Back home, the United States is dealing with rampant inflation, rising gas prices, crippling costs of life-saving medicine, and the COVID-19 pandemic-- all of which the President spoke about, and laid out his plan for the next year of his presidency. At times, his speech united our deeply contentious Congress and discussed the next planned steps during this critical point in the United States.
Source: NPR
Ukraine
Ukraine
Source: Sky News
The United States usually struggles to unite behind certain causes but, fortunately, we are able to agree on backing our fellow democracies and providing aid to Ukraine. Throughout the House Chamber, blue and yellow suits, along with Ukrainian flags, were strewn about in support of Ukraine. This was the first topic that President Biden chose to address.
The United States is one of 30 countries in the NATO alliance, which does not include Ukraine. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, in summary, states that an attack against one member state is an attack against all member states; therefore, they must protect their ally. This entails that the United States does not have to send troops to Ukraine, due to Ukraine not being a member of NATO. Biden assures the American people that we will not be involved as long as Russia’s invasion is contained in Ukraine: “But let me be clear: Our forces are not engaged and will not engage in the conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine. Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine but to defend our NATO Allies in the event that Putin decides to keep moving west.” Although these Russian attacks are heinous, it is important that we do not send troops, according to the US Government due to President Putin’s threats against countries who retaliate. Instead, President Biden outlined what he has done, and plans to do, about punishing Russia, while simultaneously keeping us out of war. Along with many other countries, the United States has inflicted heavy sanctions. Even Switzerland, a neutral country, has put sanctions in place. Subsequently, Russia’s economy has been crippled. The Ruble (Russian dollar) is worth 30% less than before the war and the Russian stock market has fallen 40% from its original value since trading has halted. Biden announced that “the United States Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of Russian oligarchs” who have “bilked billions of dollars off of this violent regime.” To further punish Russia, Biden told the American people that Russian flights will no longer be able to use American airspace and that the US is giving more than a billion dollars in direct assistance to Ukraine.
Economy
Economy
Unfortunately, these sanctions stunted the already rising prices back home. According to the New York Times, United States' gas prices now are “surpassing the previous high in July 2008, when the national average was $4.114” (which has not been adjusted for inflation). AAA cites that Oregon's prices are amongst some of the highest in the country, reaching well above the national average at $4.718 per gallon as of Mar. 30, 2022. To combat this, Biden announced that he is working with other countries 60 million barrels of oil from around the world, where we are releasing 30 million barrels of our own Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Gas prices are just scratching the surface in the United States’ problem with inflation. That is why Biden passed the American Rescue Plan. He spoke to the merits of this plan, which helped create 6.6 million jobs and prompted the fastest GDP growth in nearly 40 years. In order to further fight inflation’s toll on America and the economy, he laid out a four-point plan. First, cut the cost of prescription drugs, as we pay for them at a higher rate than any nation in the world. An example of this is insulin, which costs about $10 to make, but costs the consumer up to 30 times more to buy. Drug companies' profit margins are too high, and are exploiting the American people according to Biden. As a solution, he proposed capping insulin costs at $35 a month.
Source: New York Times
Second, he wants to cut the cost of energy by an average of $500 a year by combating climate change. In order to to do this, he said, “Let’s provide an investment and tax credit to weatherize your home and your business to be energy efficient and get a tax credit for it; double America’s clean energy production in solar, wind, and so much more; lower the price of electric vehicles, saving another $80 a month that you’ve not going to have to pay at the pump.” The third step in his four-point plan is to cut the cost of childcare. For those who live in a major city in the US, it can cost up to $14,000 per year. He wants to cut this cost in half, in turn generating more economic growth by helping people who previously could not afford childcare to get back to work. Finally, he emphasized his promise of not raising taxes for anyone making under $400,000 per year. His belief is that the current tax system is not fair, and our major corporations are not doing their part. He cited that 55 of the Fortune 500 companies made 40 billion dollars in profit last year and, subsequently, they paid zero dollars in federal income tax. In order to combat this inequality, he proposes a 15 percent minimum tax rate for corporations.
covid-19
covid-19
At last, COVID-19 seems to be nearing its end, and we are seeing incredibly low cases here in Josephine County. Now, under CDC guidelines, most Americans go maskless, as most of us have moved towards a more normal routine. As per usual, Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated, and also talked about the Pfizer drug "Paxlovid", which can help treat COVID-19 and reduces the chances of ending up in the hospital by up to 90%. He announced that he is enacting the “Test to Treat '' initiative, in which, if an individual tests positive at a pharmacy, that person can receive these life-saving pills on the spot. He mentioned that Americans can get free tests at https://www.covidtests.gov/, which are sent straight to doorsteps. While he could not promise a new variant would not come, all of these will collectively help keep kids in school, despite the unknown, which he stressed.
Source: NBC NEWS showing Associate Deputy General Kevin Chambers
Throughout the pandemic, Biden touched on the idea that relief money was stolen from small businesses and Americans. He is bringing back the "watchdogs." He announced that the Justice Department will announce a Chief Prosecutor for this fraud. As of Mar. 10, 2022 according to the United States Department of Justice, "Effective immediately, Associate Deputy Attorney General Kevin Chambers will serve as the Director for COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement... Mr. Chambers will lead Justice Department efforts that to date have resulted in criminal charges against over 1,000 defendants with alleged losses exceeding $1.1 billion; the seizure of over $1 billion in Economic Injury Disaster Loan proceeds; and over 240 civil investigations into more than 1,800 individuals and entities for alleged misconduct in connection with pandemic relief loans totaling more than $6 billion."
Conclusion
Conclusion
Biden's Mar. 1 speech let the American people know what the future had in store for Biden's presidency over the next year with Ukraine/NATO, the economy, and COVID-19 dominating the majority of the speech. Despite his low popularity ratings, the house chamber gave him multiple standing ovations, where he can hopefully lead Americans through a successful remainder of his presidency.
Page updated
Report abuse