2023 State of the Union Address

The 2023 State of the Union Address was given by the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at 9:00 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 118th United States Congress. It was Biden's second State of the Union Address, and his third speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, in her capacity as the president of the Senate.

2023 State of the Union Address
U.S. president Joe Biden delivering the 2023 State of the Union Address
DateFebruary 7, 2023 (2023-02-07)
Time9:00 p.m. (EST)
Duration1 hour, 13 minutes
VenueHouse Chamber, United States Capitol
LocationWashington, D.C.
Coordinates38°53′19.8″N 77°00′32.8″W
TypeState of the Union Address
Participants
FootageC-SPAN
Previous2022 State of the Union Address

It was the first State of the Union Address to a Republican-controlled House of Representatives since 2018.

Address

Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution states that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."[1] On January 13, 2023, President Biden accepted Speaker McCarthy's invitation to deliver a State of the Union Address on February 7.[2][3]

Issues mentioned in speech

In the speech, Biden made mention of his administration's competition agenda, advocating for a ban on "junk fees" and non-compete clauses.[4][5] Biden called on Congress to enact antitrust laws to rein in Big Tech.[6][7]

In his speech, Biden touted the creation of 12 million new jobs[8] and the unemployment rate. Other talking points mentioned include domestic semiconductor manufacturing, inflation, infrastructure, gun violence, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[9]

Biden also addressed the debt-ceiling crisis and highlighted some Republican-backed proposals to cut Social Security and Medicare.[10] After Republicans in the audience booed, Biden retorted, "as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? They're not to be touched."[10]

He referred to a base record of unemployment during his tenure; declining inflation rate, caused by high price of energy over 18 past months; and trying to improve the industrial base of the country through discussions on legislative accomplishments.[11]

Audience responses

Several members in the audience interrupted Biden; Representative Andy Ogles yelled "it's your fault!" when Biden acknowledged Fentanyl overdose deaths, and Representatives Bob Good and Marjorie Taylor Greene shouted "liar!" during Biden's comments about Republicans cutting Social Security and Medicare.[10] Taylor Greene also stayed seated when Biden introduced the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova and the family of Tyre Nichols.[10]

Responses

Republican

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas gave the Republican response to the president's address.[12] In her speech, Sanders criticized Biden's for allegedly prioritizing "woke fantasies" over the livelihoods of Americans. Sanders also stated that "we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight".[13]

Representative Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) delivered the Republican response in Spanish.[14]

Working Families Party

Representative Delia Ramirez (IL-03) delivered the Working Families Party response.[15] In her speech, Ramirez praised the Biden administration's record while calling for action to revive the expanded child tax credit, enact a $15 minimum wage, and expand Medicaid.[16]

Coverage

Viewership

This State of the Union address drew 27.3 million viewers, a 29% drop from 2022 and the lowest State of the Union audience in 30 years.[17] According to Nielsen, 73% of the people who watch Biden's speech were over the age of 55, while only 5% were under age 35.
CNN and MSNBC are the only networks to deliver lower viewership for the 2023 speech than for the 2021 speech.

NetworkViewers
FNC  4,695,000
ABC  4,405,000
NBC  3,778,000
CBS  3,637,000
MSNBC  3,569,000
CNN  2,411,000
Fox  1,656,000
Univision  1,083,000
Telemundo  836,000
Newsmax  252,000
CNBC  128,000
NewsNation  97,000
Fox Business  64,000
CNN en Español  18,000

  Broadcast networks   Cable news networks

Invitations

References
  1. "Constitution of the United States". United States Senate. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  2. Kinery, Emma (January 13, 2023). "Biden to deliver State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 7". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  3. Cathey, Libby (January 13, 2023). "Biden to deliver State of the Union address Feb. 7". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  4. Evers-Hillstrom, Karl (February 10, 2023). "Junk fees, billionaire tax: Biden's plans explained". The Hill. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  5. Kinery, Emma. "Five key economic points in Biden's 2023 State of the Union address to Congress". CNBC. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  6. "Biden Calls for Antitrust Measures to Rein in Power of Big Tech". Bloomberg.com. February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  7. Klar, Rebecca (February 9, 2023). "Biden's call for Big Tech crackdown boosts long-shot antitrust push". The Hill. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  8. "Excerpts from President Biden's State of the Union Address as Prepared for Delivery". February 7, 2023. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  9. "State of the Union Live Updates: Biden to Suggest That U.S. Is Stronger and 'Unbroken'". The New York Times. February 7, 2023. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  10. Vazquez, Maegan; Carvajal, Nikki (February 8, 2023). "Republicans repeatedly interrupt Biden during State of the Union address". CNN. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  11. "State of the Union 2023: Five takeaways from Biden's speech". BBC News. February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  12. Mizelle, Shawna (February 2, 2023). "Sarah Huckabee Sanders to deliver Republican response to State of the Union address | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  13. "Arkansas Gov. Sanders slams Biden for 'woke fantasies'". AP NEWS. February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  14. "Congressman Juan Ciscomani to Deliver Republican Address to the Nation in Spanish". www.speaker.gov. February 2, 2023. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  15. Monaco, Charles (February 3, 2023). "Rep. Delia Ramirez to Deliver WFP's 2023 State of the Union Response". Working Families Party. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  16. Denean, Austin (February 7, 2023). "Progressives call on Biden, Democrats to do more for working families". WRGT. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  17. Johnson, Ted (February 8, 2023). "State of the Union TV Viewership Falls 29% to 27.3 Million, According to Nielsen". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  18. "State of the Union: How Brandon Tsay is shouldering the spotlight". BBC News. February 7, 2023. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  19. "Remarks of President Joe Biden – State of the Union Address as Prepared for Delivery". February 7, 2023. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  20. Treene, Alayna (February 3, 2023). "First on CNN: House Foreign Affairs chair to highlight plight of Afghan women by bringing former ambassador to SOTU | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  21. Sforza, Lauren (January 31, 2023). "Rep. Greg Steube invites 'Good Samaritan' who helped him after fall as State of the Union guest". The Hill. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  22. "Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union address". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  23. Gold, Michael (February 6, 2023). "George Santos Invited a Guest to the State of the Union. He Said Yes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  24. Schonfeld, Zach (February 8, 2023). "Here are the Supreme Court justices attending, sitting out State of the Union". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  25. Hill, James (February 2023). "Dr. Bennings attending 2023 State of the Union as Congresswoman Bonamici's guest". Portland Community College. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  26. Slovic, Beth (February 7, 2023). "This is who Oregon's members of Congress will bring to Biden's State of the Union". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  27. "AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler to Attend 2023 State of the Union Address as Merkley's Guest" (Press release). Office of Senator Jeff Merkley. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
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