Biden’s claims in his State of Union address

Thank you so much madam Speaker Madam. Vice President, Our first lady and second Gentlemen. Members of Congress in the cabinet, Justice of the Supreme Court. My fellow americans Last year. COVID, 19 kept us apart this year. We're finally together again. Tonight, tonight we meet as democrats, republicans, independents but most importantly as americans with the duty to one another, to America, to the american people to the constitution and an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny. I think six days ago Russia's Vladimir Putin sought to shake the very foundations of the free world thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But he badly miscalculated. He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over. Instead he met with the mall wall of strength he never anticipated or imagined. He met the Ukrainian people. President Zelinski, every Ukrainian, their fearlessness, their courage, their determination literally inspires the world groups of citizens blocking tanks with their bodies. Everyone from students to retirees to teachers turned soldiers defending their homeland. And in this struggle President Zelensky said in his speech, the european parliament light will win over darkness. Ukrainian ambassador to the United States is here tonight. Sitting with the first lady. Let's each of us. If you're able to stand, stand and send an unmistakable signal to the world. You thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Alright, so strong. She's resolved Yes, we yes we the United States America stand with the Ukrainian people throughout our history. We've learned this lesson when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression. they cause more chaos. They keep moving and the cost the threats to the America and America to the world keeps rising. That's why the NATO alliance was created to secure peace and stability in europe. After World War two, The United States is a member along with 29 other nations. It matters american diplomacy matters. American resolve matters. Putin's latest attack on Ukraine was premeditated and totally unprovoked. He rejected repeated repeated efforts at diplomacy. He thought the west and NATO wouldn't respond. He thought he could divide us at home in this chamber in this nation. He thought he could divide us in europe as well. But Putin was wrong. We are ready. We are united and that's what we did. We stayed united. We prepared extensively and carefully. We spent months building coalitions of other freedom loving nations in europe and the Americas to America to the asian and african continents. To confront Putin. Like many of you, I spent countless hours unifying your european allies. We shared with the world in advance what we knew Putin was planning and precisely how we would try to falsify and justify his aggression. We countered Russia's lies with the truth And now now that he's acted, The three War Free World is holding him accountable Along with 27 members of the European Union, including France Germany Italy as well as countries like the United Kingdom. Canada Japan Korea. Australia, New Zealand and many others. Even Switzerland are inflicting pain on Russia and supporting the people of Ukraine. Putin is now isolated from the world more than he has ever been together. Together together along with our allies. We are right now enforcing powerful economic sanctions. We're cutting off Russia's largest banks in the international financial system, preventing Russia's central bank from defending the Russell Rubel Rubel, making Putin $630 billion dollar war fund worthless. We're choking Russia's access, choking Russia's access to technology that will sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come. Tonight, I say to the Russian oligarchs and the corrupt leaders who built billions of dollars off this violent regime no more. The United States, I mean in the United States Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated task force to go after the crimes of the Russian oligarchs. We're joining with European allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets, we're coming for you ill begotten gains. And tonight I'm announcing that we will join our allies and closing off American aerospace to all Russian flights. Further isolating Russia and adding additional squeezed on their economy. The he has no idea what's coming. The ruble has already lost 30% of its value. The Russian stock market has lost 40% of its value and trading remains suspended. The Russian economy is reeling and Putin alone is the one to blame together with our allies, we're providing support to the Ukrainians and their fight for freedom, military assistance, economic assistance, humanitarian assistance. We're giving more than a billion dollars of direct assistance to Ukraine and will continue to aid Ukrainian people as they defend their country and help ease their suffering. But let me be clear, our forces are not engaged and will not engage in the conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine. Our force is not going to europe to fight Ukraine but to defend our NATO allies. In the event that Putin decides to keep moving west for that purpose, we have mobilized american ground forces, air squadrons, ship deployments to protect NATO countries including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. And as I've made crystal clear, the United States and our allies will defend every inch of territory that is NATO territory with the full force of our collective power every single inch And we're clear eyed Ukrainians are fighting back with pure courage. But the next few days, weeks and months, it will be hard on them. Putin has unleashed violence and chaos. But while he may make gains on the battlefield, he will pay a continuing high price over the long run and a pound of Ukrainian people, proud, proud people, Pound for pound, ready to fight with every inch of energy. They have. They've known 30 years of independence have repeatedly shown that they will not tolerate anyone who tries to take their country backwards to all americans. I'll be honest with you, as I always promised, I would be a Russian dictator of invading a foreign country has cost around the world and I'm taking robust action to make sure the pain of our sanctions is targeted at Russian economy and that we use every tool at our disposal to protect american businesses and consumers. Tonight, I can announce the United States has worked with 30 other countries to release 60 million barrels of oil from reserves around the world. America will lead that effort releasing 30 million barrels of our own strategic petroleum reserve and we stand ready to do more if necessary, unite it with our allies. These steps will help blunt gas prices here at home. But I know news about what's happening can seem alarming to all americans, but I want you to know we're going to be okay, we're going to be okay when the history of this area is written, Putin's war in Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger. Well, while it shouldn't, while it shouldn't have taken, it shouldn't have taken something so terrible for people around the world to see what's at stake. Now, everyone sees it clearly, we see the unity among leaders of nations a more unified europe, a more unified west. We see unity among the people are gathering in cities and large crowds around the world, even in Russia to demonstrate their support for the people of Ukraine in the battle between democracy and autocracies. democracies are rising to the moment and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security. This is the real test. It's gonna take time. So let us continue to draw inspiration from the iron will of the Ukrainian people to our fellow Ukrainian americans who forged a deep bond that connects our two nations. We stand with you, we stand with you. Putin may circle Kiev with tanks, but I will never gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people. He'll never he'll never extinguish her love of freedom and he will never, never weaken the resolve of the free world we meet tonight and in America that has lived through two of the hardest years this nation has ever faced. The pandemic has been punishing and so many families that are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to keep up with the rising cost of food, gas housing and so much more. I understand like many of you did, my dad had to leave his home in Scranton pennsylvania to find work. So like many of you, I grew up in a family when the price of food went up, it was felt throughout the family. It had an impact. That's one of the first things I did as president was fight to pass the american rescue plan because people were hurting. We needed to act and we did a few pieces of legislation have done more at a critical moment in history to lift us out of the crisis. It fueled our efforts to vaccinate the nation and combat COVID-19 delivered immediate economic relief to tens of millions of americans. It helped put food on the table, remember those long lines of cars waiting for hours just to get a box of food put in the trunk. It cut the cost of health care insurance. And as my dad used to say, it gave the people just a little bit of breathing room. Unlike the $2 trillion dollar tax cut passed in the previous administration, That benefits the top 1% of Americans, the American rescue plan, the american rescue plan, Help working people and left no one behind. It worked. It worked. It worked and created jobs, lots of jobs. In fact, our economy created over 6.5 million new jobs just last year. More job in one year than ever before. In the history of the United States of America economy grew at a rate of 5.7 last year, the strongest growth rate in 40 years and the first step in bringing fundamental changes in our economy that hasn't worked for working people in this nation for too long For the past 40 years, we were told the tax break for those at the top and benefits would trickle down and everyone would, would benefit. But that trickle down theory led to a weaker economic growth, lower wages, bigger deficits in a widening gap between the top and everyone else and then nearly a century. Look, Vice President Harris and I ran for office and I realized we had fundamental disagreements on this, but ran for office with a new economic vision for America invest in. America, educate. Americans grow the workforce, build the economy from the bottom up in the middle out, not from the top down, because we know because we know because we know when the middle class grow, when the middle class grows the poor of the way up and the wealthy do very well. America used to have the best roads, bridges and airports on earth. And now Our infrastructure is ranked 13th in the world, Won't be able to compete for the jobs of the 21st century if we don't fix, it that's why it was so important to pass the bipartisan infrastructure law. And I thank my republican friends to join to invest rebuild America. The single biggest investment in history was a bipartisan effort. I want to thank the members of both parties who worked to make it happen. We're done talking about infrastructure weeks, we're now talking about an infrastructure decade. Look, it's going to it's going to transform America To put us on a path to win the economic competition of the 21st century and we faced with the rest of the world, particularly china. I told xi Jinping, it's never been a good bet to bet against the american people will create good jobs for millions of americans modernizing roads, airports, ports, waterways all across America and we'll do it to withstand the devastating effects of climate change and promote environmental justice. We'll build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations began to replace the poisonous lead pipes. So every child, every american has clean water to drink at home and at school, we're gonna provide, provide affordable, high speed internet for every american, rural, suburban, urban and tribal communities. 4000 projects have already been announced. Many of you have announced them in your district and tonight I'm announcing that this year we will start fixing over 65,000 miles of highway and one, 2500 Bridges in Disrepair. And folks, we use taxpayers dollars to rebuild America. We're going to do it by buying american, Buy American products, support American jobs. The federal government spends about $600 billion dollars a year to keep this country safe and secure. There's been a law on the books for almost a century to make sure taxpayers dollars support american jobs and businesses. Every administration democrat or Republican says they'll do it. But we're actually, we're actually doing it will buy America to make sure every everything from the deck of an aircraft carrier to the steel on highway guardrails is made in America from beginning to end, all of it, all of it. But but folks to compete for the jobs of the future. We also need a loving playing field with china and other competitors. That's why it's so important to pass the bipartisan Innovation Act sitting in Congress that will make record investments in emerging technologies and american manufacturing. We used to invest almost 2% of our GDP in research and development. We don't now can't china is, let me give you one example why it's so important to pass. If you travel 20 miles east of columbus Ohio, You'll find 1000 empty acres of land. It won't look like much. But if you stop and look closely, you'll see a field of dreams. The ground in which America's future will be built. That's where intel. The american company that helped build Silicon Valley Is going to build a $20 billion dollars semiconductor mega site Up to eight state of the art factories in one place, 10,000 new jobs In those factories. The average job about $135, a year. Some most sophisticated manufacturing in the world to make computer chips the size of a fingertip, the power of the world in everyday lives. From smartphones technology that the internet technology has yet to be invented. But that's just the beginning. Intel Ceo, Pat Gelsinger's who is here tonight. I know where Pat is Pat. There you go. Pat stand up. Pat Pat came to see me and he told me they're ready to increase their investment from 20 billion To 100 billion. That would be the biggest investment in manufacturing in american history and all they're waiting for is for you to pass this bill. So let's not wait any longer, send it to my desk. I'll sign it and will really take off in a big way, folks, way intel is not alone or something happening in America. Just look around and you'll see an amazing story, the rebirth of pride that comes from stamping products made in America. The revitalization of american manufacturing companies are choosing to build new factories here when just a few years ago, they would have gone overseas. That's what's happening Ford is investing $11 billion 11,000 jobs across the country. Jim is making the largest investment in his history, $7 billion 4000 jobs in Michigan All told 369,000 new manufacturing jobs were created in America last year alone, folks powered by people I've met like jojo burgess from generations of union steelworkers in Pittsburgh, who's serious tonight. Where you jojo? There you go. Thanks buddy as Ohio, as Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown says, Sherrod Brown says it's time to bury the label rust belt. It's time to see then the, what used to be called the Rust belt become the home of significant resurgence of manufacturing and with all the bright spots in our economy. Record job growth, higher wages. Too many families are struggling to keep up with their bills, inflation is robbing them of gains, they thought otherwise they would be able to feel I get it. That's why my top priority is getting prices under control. Look, our economy roared back faster than almost anyone predicted. But the pandemic meant that businesses had a hard time hiring enough people because of the pandemic to keep up production in their factories. So you didn't have people making those beams that went in the buildings because they were out. The factory was closed. The panic also disrupted the global supply chain factories close. When that happens it takes longer to make goods and get them to the warehouses to the stores and go prices go up, look at cars. Last year 1/3 of all the inflation was because of automobile sales. There weren't enough semiconductors to make all the cars that people wanted to buy. And guess what prices of automobiles went way up, especially used vehicles as well. And so we have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make americans poor. I think I have a better idea to fight inflation, lower your costs, not your wages folks. That means make more cars than semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America, more jobs where you can earn a good living in America instead of relying on foreign supply chains. Let's make it in America. Look economist, economists call this, increasing the productive capacity of our comedy of our economy. I call it building a better America. My plan to fight inflation will lower your costs and lower the deficit. 17 nobel Laureates in economics said my plan, Willie's long term inflationary pressures, top business leaders and I believe most americans support the plan and here's the plan. First cut the cost of prescription drugs. We pay more for the same drug produced by the same company in America and any other country in the world. Just look at insulin. one in 10. Americans has diabetes In Virginia. I met a 13 year old boy, the handsome young man standing up there, Joshua Davis. He and his dad both have type one diabetes, which means they need insulin every single day insulin costs about $10 a vial to make, that's what it costs the pharmaceutical company. But drug companies charge families like Joshua and his dad up to 30 times that amount. I spoke with Joshua's mom. Imagine what it's like to look at your child who needs insulin to stay healthy and have no idea how in God's name, you're going to be able to pay for it, what it does to your family. But what it does to your dignity, your ability to look your child in the eye to be the parent you expect yourself to be. I really mean to think about that. That's what I think about, you know, yesterday Joshua's here tonight, but yesterday was his birthday. Happy birthday buddy by the way for Joshua and 200,000 other young people with Type one diabetes. Let's cap the cost of insulin $35 a month. So everyone can afford it. And drug companies will do very, very well. Their profit margins were at it. I know we have great disagreements on this floor with this. Let's let Medicare negotiate the price of prescription drugs. They already set the price for V. A. Drugs. Look, American rescue plan is helping millions of families of Affordable Care Act plans to save them $2400 a year on their health program, Liam's, let's close the coverage gap and make these savings permanent. The second, let's cut energy costs for families An average of $500 year by combating climate change. Let provide an investment tax credits to weatherize your home and your business to be energy efficient and get a tax credit for it. Double americans, clean energy production and solar wind and so much more lower the price of electric vehicle, saving another $80 a month that you're not going to have to pay at the pump Folks. 3rd, third thing we can do to change the standard of living for hard working folks. Just cut the cost of childcare, Cut the cost of childcare folks for if you live in a major city in America. You pay up to $14,000 a year for childcare per child. I was a single dad for five years raising two kids had a lot of help though. I had a mom and dad, a brother and a sister that really helped. But middle class and working folks shouldn't have to pay more than 7% of their income to care for the young Children. My plan, my plan would cut the cost of childcare and half for most families help parents, including millions of women who left the workforce during the pandemic because they couldn't afford childcare to be able to get back to work generating economic growth. But my plan doesn't stop there. It also includes home and long term care, more affordable housing, three K for three and four year old. All these will lower costs for families. Under my plan, nobody let me say this again. Nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in new taxes. Not a single penny. I may be wrong, but my guess is that we took a secret ballot in this floor, that we'd all agree that the president tax system ain't fair. We have to fix it. I'm not looking to punish anybody, but let's make corporations and wealthy americans start paying their fair share. Look last year, last year like chris coons and tom carper and my distinguished congresswoman, we come from the land of corporate America are more corporations incorporated in America than every other state in America combined And I still won 36 years in a row. The point is Even they understand they should pay just a fair share. Last year, 55 of the Fortune 500 companies earned $40 billion zero in federal taxes. Now look, it's not fair. That's why I proposed a 15% minimum tax rate for corporations we've got and that's why. And the G-7 other meetings overseas were able to put together, I was able to be somewhat helpful 130 countries degree on a global minimum tax rate. So companies can't get out of paying their taxes at home by shipping jobs and factories overseas. It will raise billions of dollars. That's why I proposed closing loopholes for the very wealthy who don't pay, who pay a lower tax rate than a teacher and a firefighter. So that's my plan. But we have to go more detail later, I'm gonna grow. We will grow the economy lower the cost of families. So what are we waiting for? Let's get this done. We all know we've got to make changes folks while you're at it, confirm my nominees for the Federal Reserve, which plays a critical role and fighting inflation. My plan will not only lower costs and give families a fair shot. It will lower the deficit. The previous administration not only ballooned the deficit with those tax cuts for the very wealthy and corporations, it undermine the watchdogs, The job of those to keep pandemic relief funds being wasted. Remember we had those debates, but whether or not those watchdogs should be able to see every day how much money was being spent. Where was it going to the right place under my administration? But watchdogs are back and we're going to go after the criminals who stole billions of relief money meant for small business and millions of americans. Tonight, I'm announcing that the Justice Department will soon name a chief prosecutor from pandemic fraud. I think we all agree. Thank you. By the end of this year, the depths will be down to less than half of what it was before I took office. The only president ever to cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion dollars in a single year, lowering your cost. Also meant demanding more competition. I'm a capitalist. But capitalism without competition is not capitalism, capitalism without competition is exploitation. That drives up profits. And corporations have to compete, their profits go up and your prices go up when they don't have to compete. Small businesses and family farmers and ranchers. I need not tell some of our republican friends from those states, guess what? You've got four basic meat packing facilities. That's it. You play with them or you don't get to play at all. And you pay a hell of a lot more. A hell of a lot more because only four see what's happening with ocean carriers and moving goods in and out of America during the pandemic, About half a dozen or less foreign-owned companies raised prices by as much as 1000 and made record profits. Tonight I'm announcing a crackdown on those companies overcharging american businesses and consumers folks. And as Wall Street firms take over more nursing homes, quality in those homes has gone down and costs have gone up. That ends on my watch. Medicare is going to set higher standards for nursing homes and make sure loved ones get the care they deserve and that they inspect and they will look that closely. We're also going to cut costs to keep the economy going strong and giving workers a fair shot provide more training and apprenticeships higher than based on skills, not just their degrees. Let's pass the paycheck fairness Act and paid leave, raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and extend the child tax credit. So no one has to raise the family of poverty. Let's increase pell grants, increase our historic support for H. B. C. U. S. And invest in what Jill, our first lady who teaches full time calls. America's best kept secret community colleges. Look, let's pass the pro act when the majority of workers want a former union, they shouldn't be able to be stopped when we invest in our workers and we build an economy from the bottom up in the middle out together, we can do something. We haven't done in a long time, build a better America for more than two years, Covid has impacted every decision in our lives and the life of this nation. And I know you're tired, frustrated and exhausted. That doesn't even count close to a million people who sit at the dining room table or kitchen table looking at an empty chair because they lost somebody. But I also know this because of the progress we made, because of your resilience and the tools that we have been provided by this Congress tonight, I can say we're moving forward safely back to a more normal routines. We've reached a new moment in the fight against COVID-19 where severe cases are down to a level not seen since july of last year. Just a few days ago, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new mass guidelines. Under the new guidelines, Most americans and most of the country can now go mask free and based on projections based on projections, more of the country will reach a point across that point across the next couple of weeks. And thanks to the progress we've made in the past year. COVID-19 no longer need control our lives. I know some are talking about living with COVID-19, but tonight I say That we never will just accept living with COVID-19 will continue to combat the virus as we do other diseases. And because this virus mutates and spreads, we have to stay on guard here are four common sense steps as we move forward safely in my view. First. Stay protected with vaccines and treatments. We know how incredibly effective vaccines are. If you're vaccinated and boosted, you have the highest degree of protection, I will never give up on vaccinating more americans. Now, I know parents with kids under five are eager to see their vaccines authorized for their Children. Scientists are working hard to get that done. We'll be ready with plenty of vaccines if and when they do. We're already we are also ready with antiviral treatments. If you get COVID-19, the fighter pill reduces your chances of ending up in the hospital by 90%. I've ordered more pills than anyone in the world has fighter is working overtime to get us some million pills this month and more than double that next month. And now we're launching the test to treat initiative so people can get tested at the pharmacy and if they prove positive received the antiviral pills on the spot. At no cost folks. If you're if you're immuno compromised or have some other vulnerability, we have treatments and free high quality masks. We're leaving no one behind or ignoring anyone's needs. As we move forward on testing, we've made hundreds of millions of tests available and you can order them for free to your doorstep. And we've already ordered free test If you're already ordered free test tonight I'm announcing. You can order another group of tests. Covid go to Covid test dot gov. Starting next week and you can get more tests second. We must prepare for new variants over the past. We've gotten much better at detecting new variants if necessary. We'll be able to develop new vaccines within 100 days instead of maybe months or years. And if Congress presides the funds we need, we'll have new stockpiles of tests, mask pills ready if needed. I can't promise a new variant won't come, but I can't, I can't promise you will do everything within our power to be ready. If it does third, you can end the shutdown of schools and businesses. We have the tools we need. It's time for America to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again with people. People working from home can feel safe and begin to return to their offices. We're doing that here in the federal government. The vast majority of federal workers. Well, once again, working person, our schools are open. Let's keep it that way. Our kids need to be in school 75%, of adult Americans fully vaccinated And hospitalizations down by 77%. Most americans can remove their masks and stay in the classroom and move forward safely. We achieved this because we've provided free vaccines, treatments, tests and masks. Of course continuing this cost money. So I'm not surprised. You will be back to see you all and I'm gonna soon send a request to Congress. The vast majority of americans have used these tools and they want again. We may need them again. So I expect Congress and I hope you'll pass that quickly. Fourth. We'll continue vaccinating the world. We've sent 475 million vaccine doses two, countries. More than any nation on earth. We won't stop because you can't build a wall high enough to keep out a vaccine. The vaccine can stop to spread of these diseases. You know, we've lost so much in COVID-19 Time with one another. The worst of all the much loss of life. Let's use this moment to reset. So stop looking at Covid as a partisan dividing line. See it for what it is. A God awful disease. Let's stop sending each seeing each other as enemies to start seeing each other for who we are. Fellow americans. Look, we can't change how divided we've been. There's a long time in coming, but we can change how to move forward On COVID-19 and other issues that we must face together. I recently visited new york city Police Department days after the funerals. Officer Wilbur Maura and his partner Officer Jason Rivera. They're responding to a 911 call when a man shot and killed him with a stolen gun Officer Moore was 27 years old officer very was 22 years old. Both Dominican americans who grew up in the same streets that they later chose the parole to patrol as police officers. I spoke with their families and I told them when they were forever in debt for their sacrifices and we'll carry on their mission to restore the trust and safety of every community deserves like some of you have been around for a while. I've worked with you on these issues for a long time. I know what works investigating crime prevention and community policing. The cops who walked the beat, who know the neighborhood and who can restore trust and safety. Let's not abandon our streets or choose between safety and equal justice. Let's come together and protect our communities, restore trust and hold law enforcement accountable. That's why the Justice Department has required body cameras, banned chokeholds and restricted, no knock warrants for its officers. That's why the american rescue plan That you all provided $350 billion dollars that cities, states and counties can use to hire more police invest in more proven strategies, proven strategies like proven strategy like community violence, interruption trusted messengers breaking the cycle of violence and trauma giving young people some hope. We should all agree. The answer is not to defund the police is to fund the police, fund them, Fund them, Fund them with resources and training, resources and training. They need to protect our community. Yes, I asked democrats and republicans alike to pass my budget and keep our neighborhoods safe and we'll do everything in my power to crack down on gun trafficking of ghost guns that you can buy online, assemble at home. No serial numbers can't be traced. I asked Congress to pass proven measures to reduce gun violence, passed universal background checks. Why should anyone on the terrorist list be able to purchase a weapon? Why why folks ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines a little bit of 100 rounds? Do you think the deer wearing Kevlar vests look repeal the liability shield that makes gun manufacturers the only industry in America that can't be sued? The only one imagine had we done that with the tobacco manufacturers? These laws don't infringe on the second Amendment. They save lives. The most fundamental right in America is the right to vote and have it counted. And look, it's under assault in state after state, new laws have been passed, not only suppress the vote, we've been there before, but to subvert the entire election. We can't let this happen tonight. I call on the Senate to pass, pass the freedom to vote act, passed the john Lewis act, voting rights act. And while you're at it pass the disclose actual americans know who's funding our election. Look tonight, I'd like to honor someone who dedicated his life to serve this country. Justice prior. An army veteran constitutional scholar, retiring Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Justice Bryer. Thank you for your service. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you immediately get up stand up and say thank you. I think we all know no matter what your ideology, we all know one of the most serious constitutional responsibility the president has is nominating someone to serve on the United States Supreme Court as I did four days ago, I have nominated the Circuit Court of Appeals Tangie Brown Jackson, one of our nation's top legal minds who will continue in just brought justice, legacy of excellence. A former top litigator in private practice, a former federal public defender from a family of public school educators and police officers. She's a consensus builder since he's been nominated, she has received a broad range of support, including the fraternal Order of Police and former judges supported by democrats and republicans folks. If we are to advance liberty and justice, we need to secure our border and fix the immigration system and I think we can do both at our border. We've installed new technology like cutting edge scanners to better detect drug smuggling. We've set up joint patrols in Mexico and Guatemala to catch more human traffickers. We're putting in place dedicated immigration judges and significant larger number so families fleeing persecution and violence can have their curses cases heard faster and those who don't legitimately here can be sent back. We're screening, we're securing commitments and supporting partners in South and central America to host more refugees and secure their own borders. We can do all this while keeping lit the torch of liberty has led the generation of immigrants to this land. My forebears and many of yours provide a pathway to citizenship for dreamers. Those with temporary status. Farmworkers, essential workers, revise our laws. So businesses have workers, they need families don't wait decades. They reunited. It's not only the right thing to do, it's economically smart thing to do. That's why the immigration reform is supported by everyone from labor unions, the religious leaders to the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. Let's get it done once and for all folks advancing liberty and justice also requires protecting the rights of women. The constitutional right affirmed by roe v wade standing president for half a century is under attack as never before. If you want to go forward, not backwards. We must protect access to healthcare, preserve a woman's right to choose and continue to advance maternal health care for all americans, folks for our L. G. B. T. Q. Plus americans. Let's finally get the bipartisan equality act to my desk. The onslaught of state laws targeting transgender americans and their families. It's simply wrong said last year, especially to our younger transgender americans, I'll always have your back as your president so you can be yourself and reach your God given potential folks, I've just demonstrated all often appear as we do not agree and that we we do agree on a lot more things than we acknowledge. I signed 80 bipartisan bills in the law last year from preventing government shutdowns protecting asian americans from still too common hate crimes reforming military justice and will soon be strengthened the violence against women Act that I first wrote three decades ago. It's important. It's important for us to show show the nation we can come together and do big things. So now that I'm offering a unity agenda for the nation, four big things we can do together in my view. First beat the opioid epidemic. There's so much we can do to increase funding for prevention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery. Get rid of outdated rules and stop doctors and that stopped doctors prescribing treatments, stop the flow of illicit drugs by working with state and local law enforcement to go after the traffickers. And if you're suffering from addiction, you know, you should know you're not alone. I believe in recovery and I celebrate the 23 million 23 million Americans in recovery. 2nd, let's take on mental health, especially among our Children whose lives and education have been turned upside down. The american rescue plan gave schools money to hire teachers and help students make up for lost learning. I urge every parent to make sure your school your school does just that have the money. We can all play a part. Sign up to be a tutor or mentor Children are also struggling before the pandemic, bullying violence, trauma and the harms of social media as Francis Haugen who is here tonight with us has shown. We must hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they're conducting on our Children for profit. Thank you. Thank you for the courage. You show it's time to strengthen privacy protections. Band targeted advertising to Children, demand tech coming, stop collecting personal data on our Children. And let's get all americans, the mental health services they need more people can turn for help and full power to between physical and mental health care if we treat it that way in our insurance, third piece of that agenda and support our veterans veterans are the backbone and the spine of this country. They're the best of us. I've always believed that we have a sacred obligation of Kryptos. We send to war and care for those in their family when they come home, my administration is providing assistance and job training housing and now helping lower income veterans get V A care debt free. And our troops in Iraq have faced in Afghanistan faced many dangers. One being stationed at bases, breathing in toxic smoke from burn pits. Many of you have been there. I've been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan over 40 times. These burn pits and incinerate waste the waste of war medical and hazards, material, jet fuel and so much more and they come home many of the world's fittest and best trained warriors in the world. Never the same headaches, numbness, dizziness, a cancer that would put them in a flag draped coffin. I know one of those, one of those soldiers with my son, Major Beau biden. I don't know for sure if the burn pit that he lived near that his hooch was near in Iraq and earlier than that in Kosovo is the cause of his brain cancer, the disease of so many other troops. But I am committed to find out everything we can committed to. Military families like Daniel Robinson from Ohio, the widow of Sergeant first class heath Robinson. He was born a soldier Army National Guard combat medic in Kosovo and Iraq stationed near Baghdad, just yards from burn pits the size of football fields. Danielle is here with us tonight. They love going to Ohio State football game and he loved billy Lagos with their daughter. But cancer from prolonged exposure to burn pits ravaged his lungs and body. Danielle says Heath was a fighter to the very end. He didn't know how to stop fighting and neither did she through her pain. She found purpose to demand that we do better tonight. Danielle. We are going to do better. V A V A is firing new ways of linking toxic exposure disease. Already helping more veterans get benefits. And tonight I'm announcing we're expanding eligibility of veterans suffering from nine respiratory cancers. I'm also calling on Congress to pass a law to make sure veterans devastated by toxic exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan finally get the benefits of the comprehensive healthcare. Fourth last let's end cancer as we know it. This is personal, this is personal meaning to Jill and kamala. And so many of you, so many of you have lost someone you love, husband, wife, son, daughter, mom, dad, Cancer is the number two cause of death in America. 2nd only to heart disease. Last month I announced the plan to supercharge the cancer Moonshot that President Obama asked me to lead six years ago. Our goal is to cut cancer death rates by at least 50% over the next 25 years. I think we can do better than that. Turn cancers from death sentences into treatable diseases. More support for patients and their families to get there. I call on Congress to fund what I called R. P. H. Advanced advanced research projects, agency for health pattern after DARPA. The Defense Department projects that lead in DARPA to the internet GPS and so much more to make our forces more safer and be able to wage war more with more clarity. Our pra will have a singular purpose to drive breakthroughs in cancer. Alzheimer's and diabetes and more a unity agenda for the nation. We can do these things. It's within our power and I don't see a partisan edge to any one of those four things. My fellow americans tonight we've gathered in this sacred space, a citadel of democracy in this capital generation after generation of americans have debated great questions, made great strife. I've done great things. We fought for freedom, expanded liberty, debated totalitarianism and terror. We built the strongest freest and most prosperous nation in the world has ever known now is the hour our moment of responsibility, our test of resolve and conscience of history itself. It is in this moment that our character of this generation is formed. Our purpose is found, our future is forged. Well, I know this nation, we'll meet the test, protect freedom and liberty, expand fairness and opportunity and we will save democracy as hard as those times have been. I'm more optimistic about America today than I've been my whole life because I see the future that's within our grasp. Because I know there's simply nothing beyond our our capacity. We're the only nation on earth that has always turned every crisis we've faced into an opportunity, the only nation that can be defined by a single word possibilities. So on this night, On our 245th year as a nation, I've come to report on the state of the nation, the state of the Union. And my report is this the state of the Union is strong because you the american people are strong. We are stronger today. We are stronger today than we were a year ago and we'll be stronger a year from now than we are today. This is our moment to meet and overcome the challenges of our time and we will as one people, one America, the United States of America. God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Thank you, Go get him.

FACT CHECK: Biden's claims in his State of Union address

Updated: 2:40 AM EST Mar 2, 2022

The Associated Press is fact-checking President Joe Biden's first State of the Union speech as he grapples with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a stalled domestic agenda and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.Some of the claims we've examined:COVID-19BIDEN: "Severe cases are down to a level not seen since July of last year."THE FACTS: Biden overstated the improvement, omitting a statistic that remains a worrisome marker of the toll from COVID-19.While hospitalizations indeed are down from last summer, deaths remain high. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID tracker shows 289 deaths on July 1, 2021. This past Monday the CDC tracker reported 1,985 deaths.___EconomyBIDEN: "The pandemic also disrupted the global supply chain ... Look at cars last year. One-third of all the inflation was because of automobile sales. There weren't enough semiconductors to make all the cars that people wanted to buy. And guess what? Prices of automobiles went way up ... And so we have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drag down wages and make Americans poorer. I think I have a better idea to fight inflation. Lower your costs and not your wages. Folks, that means make more cars and semi conductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America ... Instead of relying on foreign supply chains let's make it in America."THE FACTS: It's dubious to suggest that more domestic manufacturing means less inflation. Manufactured products made overseas, particularly in countries such as China or Mexico where wages are lower, are generally cheaper than U.S.-made goods. Biden also places too much weight on supply chain disruptions from overseas as a factor in the worst inflation in four decades. Although those problems indeed have been a major factor in driving up costs, inflation is increasingly showing up in other areas, such as rents and restaurant meals, that reflect the rapid growth of the economy and wages in the past year and not a global supply bottleneck. Those trends are likely to keep pushing up prices even as supply chains recover.___Electric vehiclesBIDEN, promoting his $1 trillion infrastructure law: "We're done talking about infrastructure weeks. We're now talking about an infrastructure decade. ... We'll build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations." THE FACTS: Not so fast.The bipartisan legislation approved by Congress ended up providing just half of the $15 billion that Biden had envisioned to fulfill a campaign promise of 500,000 charging stations by 2030.Biden's Build Back Better proposal aimed to fill the gap by adding back billions to pay for charging stations. But Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in December declared that bill dead in its present form due to cost.Administration officials now say the infrastructure law will help "pave" the way for up to 500,000 charging outlets by 2030. That's different than charging stations, which could have several outlets. They say private investments could help fill the gap. Currently there are over 100,000 EV outlets in the U.S.The Transportation Department's plan asks states to build a nationwide network of EV charging stations that would place new or upgraded ones every 50 miles along interstate highways. The $5 billion in federal money over five years relies on cooperation from sprawling rural communities in the U.S., which are less likely to own EVs due to their typically higher price.States are expected to start construction as early as fall.___Associated Press writers Christopher Rugaber, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward contributed to this report.

The Associated Press is fact-checking President Joe Biden's first State of the Union speech as he grapples with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a stalled domestic agenda and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the claims we've examined:

COVID-19

BIDEN: "Severe cases are down to a level not seen since July of last year."

THE FACTS: Biden overstated the improvement, omitting a statistic that remains a worrisome marker of the toll from COVID-19.

While hospitalizations indeed are down from last summer, deaths remain high. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID tracker shows 289 deaths on July 1, 2021. This past Monday the CDC tracker reported 1,985 deaths.

___

Economy

BIDEN: "The pandemic also disrupted the global supply chain ... Look at cars last year. One-third of all the inflation was because of automobile sales. There weren't enough semiconductors to make all the cars that people wanted to buy. And guess what? Prices of automobiles went way up ... And so we have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drag down wages and make Americans poorer. I think I have a better idea to fight inflation. Lower your costs and not your wages. Folks, that means make more cars and semi conductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America ... Instead of relying on foreign supply chains let's make it in America."

THE FACTS: It's dubious to suggest that more domestic manufacturing means less inflation.

Manufactured products made overseas, particularly in countries such as China or Mexico where wages are lower, are generally cheaper than U.S.-made goods.

Biden also places too much weight on supply chain disruptions from overseas as a factor in the worst inflation in four decades. Although those problems indeed have been a major factor in driving up costs, inflation is increasingly showing up in other areas, such as rents and restaurant meals, that reflect the rapid growth of the economy and wages in the past year and not a global supply bottleneck. Those trends are likely to keep pushing up prices even as supply chains recover.

___

Electric vehicles

BIDEN, promoting his $1 trillion infrastructure law: "We're done talking about infrastructure weeks. We're now talking about an infrastructure decade. ... We'll build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations."

THE FACTS: Not so fast.

The bipartisan legislation approved by Congress ended up providing just half of the $15 billion that Biden had envisioned to fulfill a campaign promise of 500,000 charging stations by 2030.

Biden's Build Back Better proposal aimed to fill the gap by adding back billions to pay for charging stations. But Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in December declared that bill dead in its present form due to cost.

Administration officials now say the infrastructure law will help "pave" the way for up to 500,000 charging outlets by 2030. That's different than charging stations, which could have several outlets. They say private investments could help fill the gap. Currently there are over 100,000 EV outlets in the U.S.

The Transportation Department's plan asks states to build a nationwide network of EV charging stations that would place new or upgraded ones every 50 miles along interstate highways. The $5 billion in federal money over five years relies on cooperation from sprawling rural communities in the U.S., which are less likely to own EVs due to their typically higher price.

States are expected to start construction as early as fall.

___

Associated Press writers Christopher Rugaber, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward contributed to this report.