By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/live-updates-state-of-the-union-2023 Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Live updates: State of the Union 2023 Politics Updated on Feb 7, 2023 12:42 AM EDT — Published on Feb 7, 2023 8:46 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — Follow along for the latest on the president’s address. All times are in Eastern (ET). WATCH: President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address 10:40 p.m. — Republican response Giving the Republican response to the State of the Union, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she didn’t believe “much of anything” she heard from President Joe Biden and suggested he was unfit for the office he holds. A onetime press secretary for President Donald Trump, Sanders was elected in November to the job that her father, Mike Huckabee, once held. Sanders told her audience that Biden and the Democratic Party, “failed you. You know it, and they know it.” “Democrats want to rule us with more government control,” Sanders said. She also noted that, at age 40, she was half Biden’s age. 10:22 p.m. — Savoring the moment President Joe Biden spoke for 73 minutes during his State of the Union address in the House chamber. But he’s also a creature of the Senate, where he served for decades, and Capitol Hill. And so the president lingered for 20 minutes more after he had finished speaking in prime time to a national audience. He took selfies, shook hands and basked in the moment on the House floor. Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York yelled “Mr. President! That was awesome.” Biden grinned. The House chamber started to clear out, but not Biden — not yet, at least. “I’m going to get in trouble,” Biden said. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gaveled the House to adjourn the moment the president walked out of the chamber. 10:07 p.m. — Was that a balloon? President Joe Biden made a blink-and-you-might-miss-it reference to the suspected Chinese spy balloon that U.S. fighter jets shot down last week. He was talking in the State of the Union address about working with China in an effort to advance American interests. But make no mistake, he said, “as we made clear last week, if China’s threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did.” 9:56 p.m. — ‘The talk’ President Joe Biden says he’s never had to have “the talk” with his kids — the discussion about how to behave when pulled over by police. It’s a talk that many Black parents must have in order to protect their children from harm. Biden, in his State of the Union address, asked people in his audience to imagine how some parents feel, worrying their children may not come home. As he spoke, the president acknowledged the parents of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man who was beaten to death by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee. Nichols’ parents sat with first lady Jill Biden during the speech in the House chamber. The president said he knows that most police officers are good, “decent people” who risk their lives when they go to work. But he urged better training for them and more resources to reduce crime. “What happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better,” Biden said. 9:42 p.m — Getting rowdy Republicans got riled up when President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech touched on Medicare and Social Security. Biden suggested Republicans had fallen in line behind a proposal to put the continued existence of those two program to a vote every five years. In response, Republicans in the House chamber hollered, booed and shouted “liar!” Some Republicans even jumped to their feet to object. The proposal comes from Florida Sen. Rick Scott, but it hasn’t been endorsed by the majority of the Republican Party. In response, Biden said: “Anybody who doubts it, contact my office.” And he told his audience, “So we all agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the table.” That drew a standing ovation from members of both parties. 9:35 p.m. — Oil still needed, Biden says President Joe Biden drew derisive laughter from Republicans when he said the United States will need oil “for at least another decade.″ Biden made the comment in his State of the Union address as he promoted a landmark law to slow climate change. That law authorizes hundreds of billions to boost renewable energy such as wind and solar power and help consumers buy electric vehicles and energy-efficient appliances. Republicans have criticized Biden for seeking greater oil production from OPEC and other countries even as he had sought to boost renewable energy. Biden appeared to be trying to reassure critics that he recognizes the need for continued oil production, although the 10-year time frame seems far short of what experts expect — that oil will be needed for decades to come. 9:29 p.m. — ‘Not anymore’ Members of Congress rose to their feet and briefly chanted “not anymore” as President Joe Biden cited Democratic-led efforts to cap the cost of insulin to $35 per month for older Americans who use Medicare. In his State of the Union address, the president urged Congress to extend that price limit to millions of people on private insurance. That idea was scratched in Congress last year and is unlikely to gain traction now. Roughly 8.4 million Americans use insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association. About 1 million of those people, who have type 1 diabetes, can die without access to insulin. 9:23 p.m. — American-made “I’ll see you at the groundbreaking,” President Joe Biden said, promising that money from his big infrastructure package will go to projects in Republican parts of the country as well as Democratic ones. Biden used much of his State of the Union speech to call for bipartisanship. This quip was a nice way to reach out Republicans. Democrats have criticized some Republicans who opposed the infrastructure plan but still want the dollars in it to cover projects in their districts. 9:10 p.m. — Warm welcome President Joe Biden began the speech with friendly remarks to Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The president turned to briefly shake hands with McCarthy. “I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you,” Biden told McCarthy with a chuckle. Biden is urging both parties to to find bipartisan unity during his speech. Before Biden began speaking, McCarthy said he wouldn’t tear up his copy of Biden’s speech. That was a reference to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doing just that with her copy of President Donald Trump’s speech in 2020 just after he finished giving it. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Email Address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Biden bingo Given Biden’s penchant for frequently repeating his favorite phrases, supporters and detractors are assembling bingo cards of what reliable words and phrases he’s most likely to use during the speech. From the League of Women Voters to the National Constitution Center and the Washington media outlet Punchbowl News, groups have produced their versions of the cards. When “Bidenisms” come up, especially attentive viewers can cross them off. Some card list common one such as “folks,” “not a joke” and “inflection point.” Others are more policy focused. Think ”Ukraine,” “gas,” “inflation” and “tax cuts.” Many versions of the cards make the center square a free space. But even that can come with a dose of ideology. The conservative Americans for Tax Reform’s bingo card referred to it as “tax-payer funded ‘free’ space.” Republican response The last time many in Washington saw Sarah Huckabee Sanders, she was sparring with reporters in White House briefings as President Donald Trump’s press secretary. Now she’s the newly elected Republican governor of Arkansas, and on Tuesday night, she’s her party’s pick to give the response to Biden’s speech. In excerpts of those remarks, Sanders is denouncing what she calls the “radical left” agenda and Biden’s policies. She’s using her national platform to carry on conservatives’ fights on social issues, including how race is taught in public schools. The Sanders-Biden contrast is more than just ideological. Sanders is 40 years old and she’s the youngest governor in the country right now. Biden is twice her age. ‘Finish the job’ Biden will ask the country he leads to give him more time to accomplish his biggest goals. “That’s always been my vision for the country: to restore the soul of the nation, to rebuild the backbone of America — the middle class — to unite the country.” That’s what the president plans to say in his State of the Union address, according to excerpts released by the White House before the prime-time speech. And also this: “We’ve been sent here to finish the job.” In the coming weeks, Biden is expected to formally announce his 2024 reelection campaign. A majority of Democrats now think one term is plenty for him, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Flurry of preparations Preparations are underway at the Capitol with the president’s State of the Union address only a few hours away. And that means a flurry of behind-the-scenes operations to transform the stately building for the prime-time event. The House chamber is cleared out now that lawmakers have completed most of their business for the day. Crews are beginning their work. The gilded Statuary Hall is filling up with lights, cameras and broadcast teams for the many interviews that will air before before and after the speech. It’s the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the Capitol has been fully reopened for the event. Security is tight. People have begun filling the Capitol halls The balloon Biden has taken lots of heat from Republicans over his handling of the suspected Chinese spy balloon that drifted across the United States before being shot down on Saturday over the Atlantic Ocean. GOP lawmakers had talked about introducing a resolution, just as the president was set to give his prime-time speech, that would have condemned the administration over the matter. Those plans have been scrapped, and instead a bipartisan proposal condemning China is being considered. “It’s too important of an issue. And we want to stand strong together against China instead of having our own internal fights,” Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Associated Press. The Texas Republican is sponsoring the bipartisan resolution. Not everyone is on board, it seems. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican congresswoman from Georgia, showed up at the Capitol on Tuesday with a big white balloon. Mic drop “We’re not going to do childish games tearing up a speech” — Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. That was a reference to his predecessor, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who made a point of publicly ripping her copy of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address just after he finished speaking in 2020. Invited guests Keep an eye out for guests invited to the speech by the White House and members of Congress. Among those sitting with first lady Jill Biden will be the family of Tyre Nichols and the parents of a 3-year-old girl who has a rare form of cancer. There’ll be U2 frontman Bono, who has worked to combat HIV/AIDS, and Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the accused gunman in a mass shooting last month in California. Some Democratic lawmakers are bringing relatives of Black men and boys who have died at the hands of police. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has invited former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, who changed name from Enes Kanter after becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021. He grew up in Turkey and has been critical of Turkey’s president, Tayyip Erdoğan, and says a bounty has been issued against him in that country. Here we go It’s State of the Union time, that day when the president delivers a speech to Congress that tries to accomplish a lot. Biden will want to talk about his accomplishments, toss out some goals for this year, tick off things that need fixing and do some cheerleading for the nation. And, of course, characterize the state of the union. Doing all of that can take a while. Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address ran just over 62 minutes. Bill Clinton gave the longest one ever, clocking in at one hour, 28 minutes in 2000. The award for the shortest speech goes to Republican George W. Bush, who spoke for 47 minutes in 2002. You can also follow the NewsHour’s live coverage on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, and see highlights on our Instagram. By — Associated Press Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Follow along for the latest on the president’s address. All times are in Eastern (ET). WATCH: President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address 10:40 p.m. — Republican response Giving the Republican response to the State of the Union, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she didn’t believe “much of anything” she heard from President Joe Biden and suggested he was unfit for the office he holds. A onetime press secretary for President Donald Trump, Sanders was elected in November to the job that her father, Mike Huckabee, once held. Sanders told her audience that Biden and the Democratic Party, “failed you. You know it, and they know it.” “Democrats want to rule us with more government control,” Sanders said. She also noted that, at age 40, she was half Biden’s age. 10:22 p.m. — Savoring the moment President Joe Biden spoke for 73 minutes during his State of the Union address in the House chamber. But he’s also a creature of the Senate, where he served for decades, and Capitol Hill. And so the president lingered for 20 minutes more after he had finished speaking in prime time to a national audience. He took selfies, shook hands and basked in the moment on the House floor. Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York yelled “Mr. President! That was awesome.” Biden grinned. The House chamber started to clear out, but not Biden — not yet, at least. “I’m going to get in trouble,” Biden said. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gaveled the House to adjourn the moment the president walked out of the chamber. 10:07 p.m. — Was that a balloon? President Joe Biden made a blink-and-you-might-miss-it reference to the suspected Chinese spy balloon that U.S. fighter jets shot down last week. He was talking in the State of the Union address about working with China in an effort to advance American interests. But make no mistake, he said, “as we made clear last week, if China’s threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did.” 9:56 p.m. — ‘The talk’ President Joe Biden says he’s never had to have “the talk” with his kids — the discussion about how to behave when pulled over by police. It’s a talk that many Black parents must have in order to protect their children from harm. Biden, in his State of the Union address, asked people in his audience to imagine how some parents feel, worrying their children may not come home. As he spoke, the president acknowledged the parents of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old man who was beaten to death by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee. Nichols’ parents sat with first lady Jill Biden during the speech in the House chamber. The president said he knows that most police officers are good, “decent people” who risk their lives when they go to work. But he urged better training for them and more resources to reduce crime. “What happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better,” Biden said. 9:42 p.m — Getting rowdy Republicans got riled up when President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech touched on Medicare and Social Security. Biden suggested Republicans had fallen in line behind a proposal to put the continued existence of those two program to a vote every five years. In response, Republicans in the House chamber hollered, booed and shouted “liar!” Some Republicans even jumped to their feet to object. The proposal comes from Florida Sen. Rick Scott, but it hasn’t been endorsed by the majority of the Republican Party. In response, Biden said: “Anybody who doubts it, contact my office.” And he told his audience, “So we all agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the table.” That drew a standing ovation from members of both parties. 9:35 p.m. — Oil still needed, Biden says President Joe Biden drew derisive laughter from Republicans when he said the United States will need oil “for at least another decade.″ Biden made the comment in his State of the Union address as he promoted a landmark law to slow climate change. That law authorizes hundreds of billions to boost renewable energy such as wind and solar power and help consumers buy electric vehicles and energy-efficient appliances. Republicans have criticized Biden for seeking greater oil production from OPEC and other countries even as he had sought to boost renewable energy. Biden appeared to be trying to reassure critics that he recognizes the need for continued oil production, although the 10-year time frame seems far short of what experts expect — that oil will be needed for decades to come. 9:29 p.m. — ‘Not anymore’ Members of Congress rose to their feet and briefly chanted “not anymore” as President Joe Biden cited Democratic-led efforts to cap the cost of insulin to $35 per month for older Americans who use Medicare. In his State of the Union address, the president urged Congress to extend that price limit to millions of people on private insurance. That idea was scratched in Congress last year and is unlikely to gain traction now. Roughly 8.4 million Americans use insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association. About 1 million of those people, who have type 1 diabetes, can die without access to insulin. 9:23 p.m. — American-made “I’ll see you at the groundbreaking,” President Joe Biden said, promising that money from his big infrastructure package will go to projects in Republican parts of the country as well as Democratic ones. Biden used much of his State of the Union speech to call for bipartisanship. This quip was a nice way to reach out Republicans. Democrats have criticized some Republicans who opposed the infrastructure plan but still want the dollars in it to cover projects in their districts. 9:10 p.m. — Warm welcome President Joe Biden began the speech with friendly remarks to Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The president turned to briefly shake hands with McCarthy. “I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you,” Biden told McCarthy with a chuckle. Biden is urging both parties to to find bipartisan unity during his speech. Before Biden began speaking, McCarthy said he wouldn’t tear up his copy of Biden’s speech. That was a reference to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doing just that with her copy of President Donald Trump’s speech in 2020 just after he finished giving it. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Email Address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Biden bingo Given Biden’s penchant for frequently repeating his favorite phrases, supporters and detractors are assembling bingo cards of what reliable words and phrases he’s most likely to use during the speech. From the League of Women Voters to the National Constitution Center and the Washington media outlet Punchbowl News, groups have produced their versions of the cards. When “Bidenisms” come up, especially attentive viewers can cross them off. Some card list common one such as “folks,” “not a joke” and “inflection point.” Others are more policy focused. Think ”Ukraine,” “gas,” “inflation” and “tax cuts.” Many versions of the cards make the center square a free space. But even that can come with a dose of ideology. The conservative Americans for Tax Reform’s bingo card referred to it as “tax-payer funded ‘free’ space.” Republican response The last time many in Washington saw Sarah Huckabee Sanders, she was sparring with reporters in White House briefings as President Donald Trump’s press secretary. Now she’s the newly elected Republican governor of Arkansas, and on Tuesday night, she’s her party’s pick to give the response to Biden’s speech. In excerpts of those remarks, Sanders is denouncing what she calls the “radical left” agenda and Biden’s policies. She’s using her national platform to carry on conservatives’ fights on social issues, including how race is taught in public schools. The Sanders-Biden contrast is more than just ideological. Sanders is 40 years old and she’s the youngest governor in the country right now. Biden is twice her age. ‘Finish the job’ Biden will ask the country he leads to give him more time to accomplish his biggest goals. “That’s always been my vision for the country: to restore the soul of the nation, to rebuild the backbone of America — the middle class — to unite the country.” That’s what the president plans to say in his State of the Union address, according to excerpts released by the White House before the prime-time speech. And also this: “We’ve been sent here to finish the job.” In the coming weeks, Biden is expected to formally announce his 2024 reelection campaign. A majority of Democrats now think one term is plenty for him, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Flurry of preparations Preparations are underway at the Capitol with the president’s State of the Union address only a few hours away. And that means a flurry of behind-the-scenes operations to transform the stately building for the prime-time event. The House chamber is cleared out now that lawmakers have completed most of their business for the day. Crews are beginning their work. The gilded Statuary Hall is filling up with lights, cameras and broadcast teams for the many interviews that will air before before and after the speech. It’s the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the Capitol has been fully reopened for the event. Security is tight. People have begun filling the Capitol halls The balloon Biden has taken lots of heat from Republicans over his handling of the suspected Chinese spy balloon that drifted across the United States before being shot down on Saturday over the Atlantic Ocean. GOP lawmakers had talked about introducing a resolution, just as the president was set to give his prime-time speech, that would have condemned the administration over the matter. Those plans have been scrapped, and instead a bipartisan proposal condemning China is being considered. “It’s too important of an issue. And we want to stand strong together against China instead of having our own internal fights,” Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Associated Press. The Texas Republican is sponsoring the bipartisan resolution. Not everyone is on board, it seems. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican congresswoman from Georgia, showed up at the Capitol on Tuesday with a big white balloon. Mic drop “We’re not going to do childish games tearing up a speech” — Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. That was a reference to his predecessor, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who made a point of publicly ripping her copy of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address just after he finished speaking in 2020. Invited guests Keep an eye out for guests invited to the speech by the White House and members of Congress. Among those sitting with first lady Jill Biden will be the family of Tyre Nichols and the parents of a 3-year-old girl who has a rare form of cancer. There’ll be U2 frontman Bono, who has worked to combat HIV/AIDS, and Brandon Tsay, who disarmed the accused gunman in a mass shooting last month in California. Some Democratic lawmakers are bringing relatives of Black men and boys who have died at the hands of police. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has invited former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, who changed name from Enes Kanter after becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021. He grew up in Turkey and has been critical of Turkey’s president, Tayyip Erdoğan, and says a bounty has been issued against him in that country. Here we go It’s State of the Union time, that day when the president delivers a speech to Congress that tries to accomplish a lot. Biden will want to talk about his accomplishments, toss out some goals for this year, tick off things that need fixing and do some cheerleading for the nation. And, of course, characterize the state of the union. Doing all of that can take a while. Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address ran just over 62 minutes. Bill Clinton gave the longest one ever, clocking in at one hour, 28 minutes in 2000. The award for the shortest speech goes to Republican George W. Bush, who spoke for 47 minutes in 2002. You can also follow the NewsHour’s live coverage on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, and see highlights on our Instagram.