President Joe Biden is giving his second State of the Union address before both Houses of Congress.
Mr. Biden extended a hand to Republicans for bipartisanship, touted the American story of “progress and resilience” while also emphasized the recent strong economic numbers, according to excerpts released by the White House.
Mr. Biden’s olive branch to Republicans comes as he faces a divided Congress for the first time since he took office two years ago. A new CBS News poll released Tuesday showed many Americans are still anxious about inflation and the economy, and nearly half say Mr. Biden’s policies are making their own families’ finances worse.
“My economic plan is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten,” Mr. Biden is expected to say. “Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like they’re invisible. Maybe that’s you watching at home. You remember the jobs that went away. And you wonder whether a path even exists anymore for you and your children to get ahead without moving away. I get it. That’s why we’re building an economy where no one is left behind. Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back because of the choices we made in the last two years. This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America and make a real difference in your lives.”
The speech comes days after the government said the U.S. added a stunning 517,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.4%, the lowest rate since 1969. Mr. Biden will likely bring up the strong jobs numbers during his address, touting them as a sign that the economy continues to grow even as inflation begins to recede.
Pool / AP
