Article II, Section 3, Clause 1, of theUnited 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 aState of the Union Address on February 7.[2][3]
The creation of 12 million new jobs[9] and the unemployment rate. Other talking points mentioned include domesticsemiconductor manufacturing, inflation, infrastructure, gun violence, and theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[10]
Thedebt-ceiling crisis and highlighted some Republican-backed proposals to cutSocial Security andMedicare.[11] 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."[11]
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.[12]
Several members in the audience interrupted Biden; RepresentativeAndy Ogles yelled "it's your fault!" when Biden acknowledgedfentanyl overdose deaths, and RepresentativesBob Good andMarjorie Taylor Greene shouted "liar!" during Biden's comments about Republicans cutting Social Security and Medicare.[11] Greene stayed seated when Biden introduced the Ukrainian ambassador to the United StatesOksana Markarova and the family ofTyre Nichols.[11]
GovernorSarah Huckabee Sanders ofArkansas gave theRepublican response to the president's address.[13] 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".[14]
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.[18] 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 the2021 speech.
Jeffrey T. Smith:Montgomery County Sheriff ofFort Plain, New York, who has served since being elected in 2018. He has been an officer for 34 years and was undersheriff for 12 of those years.
Michael Weinstock: A formerfirefighter who served during theSeptember 11 attacks andhas a neurological condition as a result. His attendance drew media attention as he was the guest of New York Rep.George Santos, who has made numerous false or dubious claims about his biography and work history, including a claim that his mother had died prematurely due to health effects of the attacks. Weinstock hoped to draw attention 9/11-related health issues; he was fired from his law firm before attending due to the Santos connection.[19]
Andrea Neutzling: An Army veteran fromSyracuse, Ohio, who is suffering from multiple lung diseases due to exposure fromburn pits during herservice inIraq and helped get thePACT Act passed.
GovernorWes Moore: Democrat andMaryland's firstBlackgovernor in the state's 246-year history, and the third African-American elected governor in the history of the United States.[20]
GovernorMaura Healey: DemocraticGovernor of Massachusetts who has been serving since elected in 2022 and is the first elected female governor of Massachusetts as well as the first elected openlyLGBT official in the state.
CEOs, founders, or presidents of organizations or companies
Jennifer Gray Thompson:CEO of After the Fire USA, a wildfire recovery organization based inSonoma, California, which primarily assists across areas of the Western United States hit by large wildfires.
Jacki Liszak: President and CEO of theFort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce, elected Fire Commissioner for the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District, and owner and operator of several small businesses in the area with her husband. Her city was devastated byHurricane Ian in 2022, and she met with Biden to survey the damage after the storm had passed.
Kelley O'Hara:United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) player, world and Olympic champion, and host of The Players' Pod podcast on Just Women's Sports who successfully helped negotiate equal pay for both themen's and women's national soccer teams in 2022.
Michael Isaacson: Executive Director of theKane County Health Department who worked for more than 22 years, including the duration ofCOVID-19 pandemic in Illinois.
Sara Harvey: A sixth grader fromLower Southampton, Pennsylvania, who raised more than $20,000 since she was diagnosed withretinoblastoma, an eye cancer, at age 4. She will be accompanied by her parents Steve and Toni, as well as her younger brother Sonny.
Joe Cramer: A dry-bean farmer fromFrankenmuth, Michigan, who previously worked for the Michigan Bean Commission as well as vice president of Star of the West Milling Co.
Pamela Walker: mother ofJayland Walker, a 25 year oldBlack man who was shot and killed byAkron Police Department officers with 46 bullets following a police chase on June 27, 2022.
Dr. James Baker: A doctor fromLowell, Massachusetts, who has been helping patients fight theopioid crisis and advocates for new laws regarding safe opioid prescriptions since he lost his son Max toopioid addiction in 2016.
Michael Brown Sr.: The father of 18 year oldMichael Brown, aBlack teen who was controversially shot and killed by aWhiteFerguson Police Department officer named Darren Wilson in 2014 after he was accused of robbing a convenience store.
Chris DeShields: ASEPTA bus driver fromPhiladelphia who stopped acarjacking by using his 40-foot (12 m) bus to block and scare the perpetrator on January 25.
Amanda Barbosa: Wife of a former Army helicopter pilot who has stage four colon cancer due to being exposed to toxic substances during her service. She has been advocating for better care of veterans and military personnel who were also exposed to toxic substances and worked with senatorAmy Klobuchar pass thePACT Act.
Tony Sanneh: Founder of the Sanneh Foundation, an organization inSaint Paul, Minnesota, that aims to improve the lives of the youth in theTwin Cities by providing in-school and after-school support, programs that strengthen physical health and social and emotional development, and uniting the many diverse communities in the area.
Dawanna Witt: CurrentHennepin County Sheriff who has been working for 23 years and is the firstBlack and female elected sheriff the county's history.
Eugénie Ouedraogo: A nursing student atUMass Dartmouth andimmigrant fromBurkina Faso who came to the country in 2017, wasnaturalized alongside her husband Alain in 2022, and is currently living inTaunton, Massachusetts. Her children were supported by Triumph Inc., a local child care program, while she was pursuing her studies.
Jane Doe fromOhio: An anonymous woman who lost her son to the ongoingfentanyl epidemic, which is believed to have been amplified by continuous drug flow from theSouthern border.
Regina Wallace Jones:CEO ofActBlue, a technology organization that has been involved in fundraising for theDemocrats and their causes like police reform and abortion rights.
Jaqueline Sanches: A teacher fromBoston, who immigrated fromCape Verde in 2007 who has been struggling in the currentchild-care crisis.
Savion Pollard: A formerNavy engineer who was the first hire byMicron for their new computer chip factory inClay, New York, following the passage of theCHIPS Act.
Kelsey Leigh: An abortion patient advocate from theLehigh Valley inPennsylvania who had an abortion 22 weeks of pregnancy after severe fetal anomalies were discovered and protested the state's 20-week abortion ban at thePennsylvania State Capitol inHarrisburg.
Chris Barrett: CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau who has been trying to getAmtrak passenger rail service betweenNew York City andScranton restored to help boost tourism in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
David Golt:Miami Shores Police Chief who has been fighting the fentanyl epidemic and pushing for more laws regarding the drug since he lost his son Zachary to fentanyl in 2021.
Trent Dirks: AWaverly, Iowa, veteran who works for Retrieving Freedom, a facility that trains service dogs to help treat veterans with mental health effects such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks,PTSD, and nightmares, as well as children with autism.
Nick Gruber: Son of Marvin Gruber, a firefighter fromNew Tripoli, Pennsylvania, who was killed alongside fellow firefighter Zachary Paris while responding to a house fire inSchuylkill County in December 2022. He will attend alongside his wife Natalie.
Sydney Rieckhoff: CEO of Almost Famous Popcorn, a small business popcorn company based inCedar Rapids, Iowa, which started in 2022.
Will Bankston: AnEast Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputy who saved a man who was trapped underwater in his car after a car crash while driving off duty on January 22.
Paul Bruchez: A rancher fromKremmling, Colorado, who owns Reeder Creek Ranch and is currently spearheading a 12-mile restoration of theColorado River in collaboration with 12 landowners in the area to maintain its health as drought continues to shrink the river.
Spencer Cox: The RepublicanGovernor of Utah since 2021 who has been helping advance development and growth in his state. He has been criticized by other Republicans for being much more moderate.
Dennis ("Freedom") & Lee Horton: Two brothers fromPhiladelphia who were sentenced to life without parole after being convicted of second-degree murder in 1993. They spent 28 years in prison untilJohn Fetterman and Pennsylvania GovernorTom Wolf helped clear their names in 2021. Fetterman and Wolf were able to prove that the brothers did not commit the crime, only having unknowingly given their friend, the actual murderer, a ride.
Maurice and Kandice Barron:New York City parents of Ava Barron, a survivor of a rare form of pediatric cancer who was helped by the Biden supported Cancer Moonshot initiative. Ava was declared in remission in 2022.
Lynette Bonar: An enrolled member of theNavajo Nation fromTuba City, Arizona, who is a former Army sergeant and medic. She has spent 19 years at the Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation, with 8 of those being CEO. This was the first cancer center opened on a Native-American reservation and served the Navajo, Hopi, and San Juan Southern Paiute tribal members.
Bono:Irish singer ofU2 fromDublin and cofounder of ONE Campaign who has been helping fightHIV/AIDS andextreme poverty around the world. He helped bring public and bipartisan support forPEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) in 2003.
Deanna Branch: AMilwaukee woman whose son Adrian suffers fromlead poisoning due to the high concentrations of the chemical in their home and drinking water. They have since moved out and shared their experience so that housing safety can be improved on.
Kristin Christensen and Avarie Kollmar: ASeattle mother and daughter who have been working with Elizabeth Dole Foundation's "Hidden Heroes" to help children of military personnel and veterans find caregiving homes. Kristin's husband was medically retired from the Navy due to injuries in 2021.
Mitzi Colin Lopez: A woman fromWest Chester, Pennsylvania, originally from Mexico, who has been aDACA recipient since 2015. She graduated fromWest Chester University and has been advocating from immigration reform.
Maurice "Dion" Dykes: A man fromKnoxville, Tennessee, currently training to become a teacher through the Registered Apprenticeship program supported by Tennessee's Grow Your Own. The programs were approved in 2022 following support from theAmerican Rescue Plan.
Kate Foley: A 10th grade computer-integrated manufacturing student fromArlington Heights, Illinois, at Rolling Meadows High School. They are part of a district that partners with the local community college, work-based learning opportunities with employers, and career advising programs. She is hoping to become a biomedical engineer.
Darlene Gaffney: A woman fromNorth Charleston, South Carolina, who was diagnosed with stage-2breast cancer in March 2015. She joined Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church's Cancer Support Ministry to share her story and encourage people to get early detection and cancer screenings.
Doug Griffin: A man fromNewton, New Hampshire, who lost his daughter Courtney to fentanyl in 2014 who has been advocating for better access to addiction treatment and raising awareness about the stigma of addiction.
Harry Miller: AnUpper Arlington, Ohio, mechanical engineering senior atOhio State University who previously playedfootball with theBuckeyes but left the team to prioritize his mental health. He has become an advocate for mental health and emotional wellness ever since.
Gina and Heidi Nortonsmith: A lesbian couple fromNorthampton, Massachusetts, who were the plaintiffs inGoodridge v. Department of Public Health, the case that made Massachusetts the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. They married in 2004 on the first day that same-sex marriage licenses were issued in the state.
Paul Sarzoza: A small business owner fromPhoenix, Arizona, who is the CEO of Verde, a cleaning and facilities services company. His business has been growing because of his biggest customerTSMC, a semiconductor manufacturing company who is expanding due to theCHIPS Act.
Amanda and Josh Zurawski: A couple fromAustin, Texas, who tried to get an abortion because Amanda'swater broke when she was only 18 weeks (3.5 months) pregnant, but couldn't because her doctors were afraid of violating thestate's new abortion ban. Amanda was told to return if she developed any signs of an infection; she developedsepsis three days later and nearly died.[27] While she survived, she still suffers from medical complications due to the delayed treatment. Amanda subsequently returned for next year's address.[28]
Written message with national radio address * Split into multiple parts
† Included a detailed written supplement
‡ Not officially a "State of the Union" PresidentsWilliam Henry Harrison (1841) andJames Garfield (1881) died in office before delivering a State of the Union
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