President Joe Biden on Tuesday pushed for an array of new energy initiatives in his State of the Union address, ideas that will please the progressive wing of his party but may be hard to swallow for some moderates.
Biden argued his proposals would ‘cut energy costs for families an average of $500 a year by combatting climate change.’
One of the key moderate votes Biden would need, Senator Joe Manchin, spent the speech sitting on the Republican side of the aisle next to Senator Mitt Romney. Manchin did stand and applaud with his fellow Democrats, sometimes being the only person standing in the sea of Republicans.
The senator from West Virginia was making a gesture of bipartisanship, his spokesperson said.
Senator Joe Manchin, a key moderate Democratic vote for President Joe Biden, sat with Republicans during the State of the Union address
Manchin did rise and applaud with his fellow Democrats, sometimes being the only one standing in a sea of Republicans
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (right) sat with Republican Senator Mitt Romney (left) during the State of the Union address as a gesture of bipartisanship, his office said
‘Senator Manchin sat with his colleague Senator Romney to remind the American people and the world that bipartisanship works and is alive and well in the U.S. Senate,’ his spokesperson told NBC News.
And Romney said the two sat together ‘just as a show of solidarity between the two parties, bipartisanship, we worked together extensively over the last couple of years and plan on keeping it up.’
Biden had several climate and energy provisions in his Build Back Better bill, his social programs legislation that died when Manchin refused to support it, citing concerns about its costs.
The president is trying to kickstart his domestic agenda.
Manchin has supported some clean energy programs in the past but not ones that discriminate against coal and gas – two major industries in his home state.
Biden didn’t get into detailed specifics when he talked about his proposals.
‘Let’s provide investments and tax credits to weatherize your homes and businesses 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’re not going to have to pay at the pump,’ Biden said during his State of the Union address.
‘UNITY AGENDA’
Biden sought support from Republicans and Democrats on a variety of issues that his administration dubbed a ‘unity agenda’: including ending opioid epidemic, increasing mental health and veterans support and ending cancer.
Biden pushed to beat the opioid epidemic and to take on mental health issues, especially among children, ‘whose lives and education have been turned upside down.’
He pointed to Frances Haugen, the former Facebook employee who exposed what the company may have known about damage caused by its social media platform. She was a guest in first lady Jill Biden’s box.
She gave testimony to the Securities and Exchange Commission and to Congress. And she warned in October that Facebook had research that showed its Instagram platform was turning children into addicts and bullies.
‘We must hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit,’ Biden said. ‘It’s time to strengthen privacy protections, ban targeted advertising to children, demand tech companies stop collecting personal data on our children.’
He added: ‘And let’s get all Americans the mental health services they need. More people they can turn to for help, and full parity between physical and mental health care.’
Frances Haugen, the former Facebook employee who exposed what the company may have known about damage caused by its social media platform, was a guest of Jill Biden’s during the State of the Union address
Biden added that he is committed to helping veterans and providing assistance with job training and housing, as well as helping lower-income vets get Department of Veterans Affairs care debt-free.
‘I’m also calling on Congress: Pass a law to make sure veterans devastated by toxic exposures in Iraq and Afghanistan finally get the benefits and comprehensive health care they deserve,’ he said.
SUPREME COURT NOMINEE
Biden also re-introduced his Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, to Congress. The Senate must confirm her.
He described Jackson as a ‘consensus builder’ and one of the country’s ‘top legal minds.’
He also paid tribute to retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, who visibly blushed and grabbed his cheeks during the presidential tribute.
Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts and Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan applaud retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer (seated) as President Joe Biden paid tribute to him during the State of the Union address
‘Tonight, I’d like to honor someone who has dedicated his life to serve this country: Justice Stephen Breyer—an Army veteran, Constitutional scholar, and retiring Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Justice Breyer, thank you for your service,’ Biden said.
Breyer put his hand to his heart as his fellow Supreme Court justices and members of Congress gave him a standing ovation.
VOTING RIGHTS
Biden called on the Senate to pass a package of voting rights bills that was already passed by the House but is stalled in the upper chamber.
‘The most fundamental right in America is the right to vote — and to have it counted. And it’s under assault,’ he said. ‘In state after state, new laws have been passed not only to suppress the vote, but to subvert entire elections.’
He urged the Senate to pass the bills – the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Disclose Act – ‘so Americans can know who is funding our elections.’
PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
Biden also pushed Congress to pass legislation that would lower the cost of prescriptions drugs, specificially mentioning the high cost of insulin.
Insulin is an medicine many Americans are familiar with as 1 in 10 Americans has diabetes. It is one Biden has turned to time and again when arguing for cheaper medicine.
Biden introduced 13-year-old Joshua Davis, who has diabetes, and has appreared with Biden before at events on prescription drug costs. Davis and his mom sat in Jill Biden’s box.
Jill Biden reaches out to 13-year-old Joshua Davis when President Biden mentions him during the State of the Union Address
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff gives Joshua a pat
The president said that insulin costs $10 a vial to make, but drug companies charge up to 30 times more.
‘For Joshua, and for the 200,000 other young people with Type 1 diabetes, let’s cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month so everyone can afford it,’ he said.
He also noted that Monday was Joshua’s birthday and wished him many happy returns.
