[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 1, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H1200-H1206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2037
JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS PURSUANT TO HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 69 TO 
                  RECEIVE A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

  The recess having expired, the House was called to order by the 
Speaker at 8 o'clock and 37 minutes p.m.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms, Ms. Kathleen Joyce, announced 
the Vice President and Members of the U.S. Senate, who entered the Hall 
of the House of Representatives, the Vice President taking the chair at 
the right of the Speaker, and the Members of the Senate the seats 
reserved for them.
  The SPEAKER. The joint session will come to order.
  The Chair appoints as members of the committee on the part of the 
House to escort the President of the United States into the Chamber:
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer);
  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn);
  The gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney);
  The gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur);
  The gentlewoman from Delaware (Ms. Blunt Rochester);
  The gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy);
  The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise);
  The gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik);
  The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson);
  The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer);
  The gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole); and
  The gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Spartz).
  The VICE PRESIDENT. The President of the Senate, at the direction of 
that body, appoints the following Senators as members of the committee 
on the part of the Senate to escort the President of the United States 
into the House Chamber:
  The Senator from New York (Mr. Schumer);
  The Senator from Vermont (Mr. Leahy);
  The Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin);
  The Senator from Michigan (Ms. Stabenow);
  The Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar);
  The Senator from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin);
  The Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell);
  The Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Thune);
  The Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso);
  The Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst);
  The Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt); and
  The Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Dean of the 
Diplomatic Corps, His Excellency Hersey Kyota, the Ambassador of the 
Republic of Palau.
  The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps entered the Hall of the House of 
Representatives and took the seat reserved for him.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Chief Justice of 
the United States and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court.
  The Chief Justice of the United States and the Associate Justices of 
the Supreme Court entered the Hall of the House of Representatives and 
took the seats reserved for them in front of the Speaker's rostrum.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Cabinet of the 
President of the United States.
  The members of the Cabinet of the President of the United States 
entered the Hall of the House of Representatives and took the seats 
reserved for them in front of the Speaker's rostrum.
  At 9 o'clock and 5 minutes p.m., the Sergeant at Arms, the Honorable 
William J. Walker, announced the President of the United States.
  The President of the United States, escorted by the committee of 
Senators and Representatives, entered the Hall of the House of 
Representatives and stood at the Clerk's desk.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  The SPEAKER. Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and the 
distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  The PRESIDENT. Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President, our First Lady 
and Second Gentleman, Members of Congress and the Cabinet, Justices of 
the Supreme Court, my fellow Americans, last year, COVID-19 kept us 
apart. This year, we are finally together again.
  Tonight, we meet as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents but, 
most importantly, as Americans with a duty to one another, to America, 
to the American people, and to the Constitution, and with an unwavering 
resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny.
  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 a wall of strength he never anticipated or 
imagined. He met the Ukrainian people.
  From President Zelensky to 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 to the 
European Parliament: ``Light will win over darkness.''
  The Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States is here tonight, 
sitting with the First Lady. Let's each of us, if you are able to 
stand, stand and send an unmistakable signal to the world and to 
Ukraine.
  She is bright, she is strong, and she is resolved.
  Yes, we, the United States of America, stand with the Ukrainian 
people.
  Throughout our history, we have learned this lesson: When dictators 
do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos. They 
keep moving. And the cost and the threats to America and to the world 
keep rising. That is why the NATO alliance was created, to secure peace 
and stability in Europe after World War II.
  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 efforts at diplomacy. He thought the 
West and NATO wouldn't respond. He thought he could divide us at home, 
in this Chamber and this Nation. He thought he could divide us in 
Europe as well.
  But Putin was wrong. We are ready. We are united. And that is 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 the Asia and the African continents, to confront 
Putin.
  Like many of you, I spent countless hours unifying our European 
allies. We shared with the world in advance what we knew Putin was 
planning and precisely how he would try to falsify and justify his 
aggression.
  We countered Russia's lies with the truth. And now that he has acted, 
the free world is holding him accountable, along with 27 members of the 
European Union, including France, Germany,

[[Page H1201]]

Italy, as well as countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, 
Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and many others, even Switzerland, that 
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, along with our allies, we are right now enforcing powerful 
economic sanctions. We are cutting off Russia's largest bank from the 
international financial system, preventing Russia's central bank from 
defending the Russian ruble, making Putin's $630 billion war fund 
worthless.
  We are 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 
have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime, no more. I 
mean it.
  The United States Department of Justice is assembling a dedicated 
task force to go after the crimes of the Russian oligarchs. We are 
joining with European allies to find and seize their yachts, their 
luxury apartments, their private jets. We are coming for your ill-
begotten gains.
  And tonight, I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing 
off American airspace to all Russian flights, further isolating Russia 
and adding an additional squeeze on their economy.
  He has no idea what is coming.
  The ruble has already lost 30 percent of its value. The Russian stock 
market has lost 40 percent 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 are providing support to the Ukrainians 
in their fight for freedom--military assistance, economic assistance, 
humanitarian assistance.
  We are giving more than a billion dollars of direct assistance to 
Ukraine, and we will continue to aid the 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 forces are 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 have 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 are clear-eyed. The Ukrainians are fighting back with pure 
courage. But the next few days, weeks, and months 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 the Ukrainian people, the proud, proud people, pound for pound 
are ready to fight with every inch of energy they have. They have known 
30 years of independence, have repeatedly shown that they will not 
tolerate anyone who tries to take their country backward.

  To all Americans, I will be honest with you, as I always promised I 
would be. A Russian dictator invading a foreign country has costs 
around the world. And I am taking robust action to make sure the pain 
of our sanctions is targeted at Russia's 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, united with our allies.
  These steps will help blunt gas prices here at home, but I know news 
about what is happening can seem alarming to all Americans. But I want 
you to know we are going to be okay. We are going to be okay.
  When the history of this era is written, Putin's war on Ukraine will 
have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger.
  While it shouldn't have taken something so terrible for people around 
the world to see what is 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 who are gathering in 
cities in large crowds around the world, even in Russia, to demonstrate 
their support for the people of Ukraine.
  In the battle between democracy and autocracy, democracies are rising 
to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and 
security.
  This is the real test, and it is going to take time. So let us 
continue to draw inspiration from the iron will of the Ukrainian 
people.
  To our fellow Ukrainian Americans who forge a deep bond that connects 
our two nations, we stand with you. We stand with you.
  Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks, but he will never gain the hearts 
and souls of the Ukrainian people. He will never extinguish their love 
of freedom, and he will never, ever weaken the resolve of the free 
world.
  We meet tonight in an America that has lived through two of the 
hardest years this Nation has ever faced. The pandemic has been 
punishing, and so many families 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 do. My dad had to leave his home in 
Scranton, Pennsylvania, to find work. So like many of you, I grew up in 
a family where if the price of food went up, it was felt throughout the 
family. It had an impact.
  That is why one of the first things I did as President was to fight 
to pass the American Rescue Plan, because people were hurting. We 
needed to act, and we did. Few pieces of legislation have done more at 
a critical moment in our history to lift us out of a crisis. It fueled 
our efforts to vaccinate the Nation and combat COVID-19. It 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 their trunk? It cut the cost of 
healthcare insurance. As my dad used to say, it gave the people just a 
little bit of breathing room.
  Unlike the $2 trillion tax cut passed in the previous administration 
that benefited the top 1 percent of Americans, the American Rescue Plan 
helped working people and left no one behind.
  And it worked. It worked. It created jobs, lots of jobs. In fact, our 
economy created over 6.5 million new jobs just last year, more jobs in 
1 year than ever before in the history of the United States of America.
  The economy grew at a rate of 5.7 percent last year, the strongest 
growth rate in 40 years, and the first step in bringing fundamental 
change to our economy that hasn't worked for the working people in this 
Nation for too long.
  For the past 40 years, we were told that if we gave tax breaks to 
those at the very top the benefits would trickle down and everyone 
would benefit. But that trickle-down theory led to weaker economic 
growth, lower wages, bigger deficits, and a widening gap between the 
top and everyone else in nearly a century.
  Look, Vice President Harris and I ran for office--and I realize we 
have fundamental disagreements on this--but we 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 and the middle 
out, not from the top down. Because we know when the middle class 
grows, the poor have a ladder up and the wealthy do very well.
  America used to have the best roads, bridges, and airports on Earth. 
Now, our infrastructure is ranked thirteenth in the world. We won't be 
able to compete for the jobs of the 21st century if we don't fix it. 
That is why it was so important to pass the bipartisan infrastructure 
law, and I thank my Republican friends who joined to invest to rebuild 
America, the single biggest investment in history. It was a bipartisan 
effort, and I want to thank the members of both parties who worked to 
make it happen.
  We are done talking about infrastructure weeks. We are now talking 
about an infrastructure decade.

[[Page H1202]]

  Look, it is going to transform America and put us on a path to win 
the economic competition of the 21st century that we face with the rest 
of the world, particularly China.
  I have told Xi Jinping it has never been a good bet to bet against 
the American people. We will create good jobs for millions of 
Americans, modernizing roads, airports, ports, and waterways all across 
America, and we will do it to withstand the devastating effects of 
climate change and promoting environmental justice.
  We will build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging 
stations, begin to replace the poisonous lead pipes so every child, 
every American has clean water to drink at home and at school. We are 
going to provide affordable high-speed internet for every American--
rural, suburban, urban, and Tribal communities.
  Four thousand projects have already been announced. Many of you have 
announced them in your districts. Tonight, I am announcing that this 
year, we will start fixing over 65,000 miles of highway and 1,500 
bridges in disrepair.
  Folks, when we use taxpayer dollars to rebuild America, we are going 
to do it by buying American. Buy American products, support Americans 
jobs.
  The Federal Government spends about $600 billion a year to keep this 
country safe and secure. There has 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 
will do it, but we are actually doing it. We will buy American to make 
sure 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.
  But, folks, to compete for the jobs of the future, we also need a 
level playing field with China and other competitors. That is why it is 
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 percent of our GDP in research and 
development. We don't now, can't. China is.
  Let me give you one example of why it is so important to pass. If you 
travel 20 miles east of Columbus, Ohio, you will find 1,000 empty acres 
of land. It won't look like much, but if you stop and look closely, you 
will see a field of dreams, the ground on which America's future will 
be built.
  That is where Intel, the American company that helped build Silicon 
Valley, is going to build a $20 billion semiconductor mega site, up to 
eight state-of-the-art factories in one place, 10,000 new jobs. In 
those factories, the average job is about $135,000 a year, some of the 
most sophisticated manufacturing in the world, to make computer chips 
the size of a fingertip that power the world and our everyday lives, 
from smartphones, technology of the internet, technology that is yet to 
be invented. But that is just the beginning.

  Intel's CEO, Pat Gelsinger, who is here tonight--I don't know where 
Pat is.
  There you go. Pat, stand up.
  Pat came to see me, and he told me they are ready to increase their 
investment from $20 billion to $100 billion. That would be the biggest 
investment in manufacturing in American history. All they are waiting 
for is for you to pass this bill. So let's not wait any longer. Send it 
to my desk, I will sign it, and we will really take off in a big way.
  Folks, Intel is not alone. There is something happening in America. 
Just look around, and you will 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 is what is happening. Ford is investing $11 billion in electric 
vehicles, creating 11,000 jobs across the country.
  GM is making the largest investment in its history, $7 billion to 
build electric vehicles, creating 4,000 jobs in Michigan. All told, 
369,000 new manufacturing jobs were created in America last year alone.
  Powered by people I have met like JoJo Burgess, from generations of 
union steelworkers from Pittsburgh, who is here with us tonight. Where 
are you, JoJo? There you go. Thanks, Buddy.
  As Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown says, ``It is time to bury the label 
`Rust Belt.' '' It is time to see what used to be called the Rust Belt 
become the home of a significant resurgence of manufacturing.
  With all the bright spots in our economy, record job growth and 
higher wages, too many families are struggling to keep up with their 
bills. Inflation is robbing them of the gains they might otherwise 
feel. I get it. That is 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 into 
buildings because they were out, the factory was closed.
  The pandemic also disrupted the global supply chain. When factories 
close, it takes longer to make goods and get them from the warehouses 
to the stores, and prices go up. 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. Especially used vehicles 
as well.
  And so we have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drive down 
wages and make Americans poorer. I think I have a better idea to fight 
inflation. Lower your costs, not your wages.
  Folks, that means make more cars and 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, economists call this increasing the productive capacity of our 
economy. I call it building a better America.
  My plan to fight inflation will lower your costs and lower the 
deficit. Seventeen Nobel laureates in economics say my plan will ease 
long-term inflationary pressures. Top business leaders, and I believe 
most Americans, support the plan.
  And here is the plan: First, cut the cost of prescription drugs. We 
pay more for the same drug produced by the same company in America than 
any other country in the world.
  Just look at insulin. One in ten 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 1 diabetes, which means 
they need insulin every single day. Insulin costs about $10 a vial to 
make. That is 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 is like to look at your 
child who needs insulin to stay healthy and have no idea how in God's 
name you are 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 it. Think about that. That is what I think about.
  Joshua is here tonight, but yesterday was his birthday. Happy 
birthday, Buddy, by the way. 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.
  And drug companies will do, very, very well, their profit margin. And 
while we are at it, I know we have had great disagreements on this 
floor with this, let's let Medicare negotiate the price of prescription 
drugs. They already set the price for VA drugs.
  Look, the American Rescue Plan is helping millions of families on 
Affordable Care Act plans to save them $2,400 a year on their 
healthcare premiums. Let's close the coverage gap and make these 
savings permanent.
  Second, let's cut energy costs for families an average of $500 a year 
by combating climate change.
  Let's provide investments and tax credits to weatherize your homes 
and businesses to be energy efficient, and

[[Page H1203]]

you 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 are not going to have to pay at the 
pump.
  The third thing we can do to change the standard of living for 
hardworking folks is cut the cost of childcare. 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 5 years, raising two kids. I had a lot of help, 
though. I had a mom, a dad, a brother, and a sister that really helped. 
But middle-class and working folks shouldn't have to pay more than 7 
percent of their income to care for their young children.
  My plan would cut the cost of childcare in half for most families and 
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.
  My plan doesn't stop there. It also includes home- and long-term 
care. More affordable housing. Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds. All of 
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 if we took a secret ballot on this 
floor that we would all agree that the present tax system ain't fair. 
We have to fix it.
  I am not looking to punish anybody, but let's make corporations and 
wealthy Americans start paying their fair share. Last year, like Chris 
Coons and Tom Carper and my distinguished Congresswoman, we come from 
the land of corporate America. There are more corporations incorporated 
in Delaware than every other State in America combined, and I still won 
36 years in a row. The point is, even they understand that they should 
pay their fair share.
  Last year 55 of the Fortune 500 companies earned $40 billion in 
profit and paid zero in Federal taxes. Look, it is not fair. That is 
why I proposed a 15 percent minimum tax rate for corporations.
  We got more than 130 countries to agree on a global minimum tax rate, 
so companies can't get out of paying their taxes at home by shipping 
jobs and factories overseas. That will raise billions of dollars.
  That is why I propose closing loopholes for the very wealthy who pay 
a lower tax rate than a teacher and a firefighter.
  So that is my plan, but we have to go into more detail later. We will 
grow the economy, lower the costs to families.
  So what are we waiting for? Let's get this done. We all know we have 
to make changes.
  Folks, while you are at it, confirm my nominees for the Federal 
Reserve, which plays a critical role in 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 undermined the 
watchdogs, the job of those to keep the pandemic relief funds from 
being wasted.
  Remember, we had those debates about whether or not those watchdogs 
should be able to see every day how much money was being spent, and was 
it going to the right place? Under my administration, the watchdogs are 
back.
  And we are going to go after the criminals who stole billions of 
relief money meant for small businesses and millions of Americans. And, 
tonight, I am announcing that the Justice Department will soon name a 
chief prosecutor for pandemic fraud.
  Look, I think we all agree--thank you--by the end of this year, the 
deficit 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 in a single year.
  Lowering your costs also means demanding more competition. I am a 
capitalist, but capitalism without competition is not capitalism. 
Capitalism without competition is exploitation.
  It drives up prices. When corporations don't have to compete, their 
profits go up. Your prices go up when they don't have to compete. Small 
businesses and family farmers and ranchers go under. I need not tell 
some of my Republican friends from those States. Guess what? You have 
four basic meatpacking facilities. That is 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 there are only four.
  We see what is happening with ocean carriers 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 1,000 percent and made 
record profits. Tonight, I am announcing a crackdown on those companies 
overcharging American businesses and consumers.
  Folks, 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 your loved ones get the care they deserve and that they expect, 
and they are looked at closely.
  We are also going to cut costs to keep the economy going strong and 
give workers a fair shot, provide more training and apprenticeships, 
hire them 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 a family in poverty.
  Let's increase Pell grants and increase our historic support of HBCUs 
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 a majority of workers want to form 
a union, they shouldn't be able to be stopped.
  When we invest in our workers, when we build an economy from the 
bottom up and the middle out together, we can do something we haven't 
done in a long time: build a better America.
  For more than 2 years, COVID has impacted every decision in our lives 
and the life of this Nation. And I know you are tired, frustrated, and 
exhausted. And that doesn't even count close to a million people who 
sit at a dining room table or a kitchen table and look at an empty 
chair because they lost somebody.
  But I also know this: Because of the progress we have made, because 
of your resilience and the tools that we have been provided by this 
Congress, tonight I can say we are moving forward safely, back to more 
normal routines.
  We have 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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued 
new mask guidelines.
  Under the new guidelines, most Americans and most of the country can 
now go mask free. And based on projections, more of the country will 
reach that point across the next couple of weeks.
  Thanks to the progress we have 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. We 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 commonsense 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 are vaccinated and boosted, 
you have the highest degree of protection. We will never give up on 
vaccinating more Americans.
  Now, I know parents with kids under 5 are eager to see vaccines 
authorized for their children. Scientists are working hard to get that 
done, and we will be ready with plenty of vaccines if and when they do.
  We are also ready with antiviral treatments. If you get COVID-19, the 
Pfizer pill reduces your chances of ending up in a hospital by 90 
percent.

  I have ordered more pills than anyone in the world has. Pfizer is 
working overtime to get us a million pills this month and more than 
double that next month.
  And now we are launching the Test to Treat initiative so people can 
get tested at a pharmacy and, if they prove positive, receive the 
antiviral pills on the spot at no cost.

[[Page H1204]]

  Folks, if you are immunocompromised or have some other vulnerability, 
we have treatments and free high-quality masks. We are leaving no one 
behind or ignoring anyone's needs as we move forward.
  On testing, we have made hundreds of millions of tests available, and 
you can order them for free to your doorstep. And we have already 
ordered free tests. If you already ordered free tests, tonight, I am 
announcing you can order another group of tests. Go to covidtests.gov 
starting next week, and you can get more tests.
  Second, we must prepare for new variants. Over the past year, we have 
gotten much better at detecting new variants. If necessary, we will be 
able to develop new vaccines within 100 days instead of maybe months or 
years.
  And, if Congress provides the funds we need, we will have new 
stockpiles of tests, masks, and pills ready, if needed.
  I can't promise a new variant won't come, but I can promise you we 
will do everything in our power if it does.
  Third, we can end the shutdown of schools and businesses. We have the 
tools we need.
  It is 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 are doing that here in the Federal Government. The vast majority 
of Federal workers will once again work in person.
  Our schools are open. Let's keep it that way. Our kids need to be in 
school.
  And with 75 percent of adult Americans fully vaccinated and 
hospitalizations down by 77 percent, most Americans can remove their 
masks, stay in the classroom, and move forward safely. We achieved this 
because we provided free vaccines, treatments, tests, and masks.
  Of course, continuing this costs money. So it will not surprise you, 
I will be back to see you all, and I am going to soon send a request to 
Congress. The vast majority of Americans have used these tools and may 
want to again, may need them again, so I expect Congress--I hope you 
will pass that quickly.
  Fourth, we will continue vaccinating the world. We have sent 475 
million vaccine doses to 112 countries, more than any nation on Earth. 
We won't stop because you can't build a wall high enough to keep out a 
pandemic. The vaccine can stop the spread of this disease.
  You know, we have lost so much to COVID-19--time with one another 
and, worst of all, so much loss of life. Let's use this moment to 
reset. Let's stop looking at COVID-19 as a partisan dividing line and 
see it for what it is: a god-awful disease. Let's stop seeing each 
other as enemies and start seeing each other for who we are: fellow 
Americans.
  Look, we can't change how divided we have been. It is a long time 
coming. But we can change how to move forward--on COVID-19 and other 
issues that we must face together.
  I recently visited the New York City Police Department days after the 
funerals of Officer Wilbert Mora and his partner, Officer Jason Rivera. 
They were responding to a 911 call when a man shot and killed them with 
a stolen gun. Officer Mora was 27 years old; Officer Rivera was 22 
years old--both Dominican Americans who grew up in the same streets 
that they later chose to patrol as police officers.
  I spoke with their families, and I told them that we are forever in 
debt for their sacrifices, and we will carry on their mission to 
restore the trust and safety every community deserves.
  Like some of you that have been around for a while, I have worked 
with you on these issues for a long time. I know what works: investing 
in crime prevention and community policing--cops who walk 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 is why the Justice Department has required body cameras, banned 
choke holds, and restricted no-knock warrants for its officers.
  That is why the American Rescue Plan provided $350 billion that 
cities, States, and counties can use to hire more police and invest in 
more proven strategies, like community violence interruption--trusted 
messengers breaking the cycle of violence and trauma and giving young 
people some hope.
  We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. It is to 
fund the police. Fund them. Fund them. Fund them with resources and 
training, resources and training they need to protect our communities.
  I ask Democrats and Republicans alike to pass my budget and keep our 
neighborhoods safe. And I will do everything in my power to crack down 
on gun trafficking and 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, pass 
universal background checks. Why should anyone on the terrorist list be 
able to purchase a weapon? Why?
  Folks, ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that hold up 
to 100 rounds. You think the deer are 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 is under assault. In State after State, new 
laws have been passed, not only to suppress the vote--we have been 
there before--but to subvert the entire election. We can't let this 
happen.
  Tonight, I call on the Senate to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, pass 
the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. And while you are at it, pass the 
DISCLOSE Act so Americans know who is funding our elections.
  Tonight, I would like to honor someone who has dedicated his life to 
serve this country, Justice Breyer--an Army veteran, constitutional 
scholar, retiring Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
  Justice Breyer, thank you for your service. Thank you, thank you, 
thank you. I mean it. Get up. Stand, let them see you.
  And we all know, no matter what your ideology, we all know one of the 
most serious constitutional responsibilities a President has is 
nominating someone to serve on the United States Supreme Court, as I 
did 4 days ago. I have nominated the circuit court of appeals' Ketanji 
Brown Jackson, one of our Nation's top legal minds who will continue 
Justice Breyer's 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 is a consensus-builder. Since she has been nominated, she has 
received a broad range of support, including the Fraternal Order of 
Police and former judges appointed 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 as you might guess, I 
think we can do both.
  At our border, we have installed new technologies, like cutting-edge 
scanners to better detect drug smuggling. We have set up joint patrols 
with Mexico and Guatemala to catch more human traffickers.
  We are putting in place dedicated immigration judges in a 
significant, larger number so families fleeing persecution and violence 
can have their cases heard faster, and those who are not legitimately 
here can be sent back.

  We are 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 that has led 
generations of immigrants to this land--my forebearers and many of 
yours.
  Provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and those with 
temporary status, farmworkers and essential workers. Revise our laws so 
businesses have the workers they need, and families don't wait decades 
to reunite.
  It is not only the right thing to do. It is the economically smart 
thing to do. That is why immigration reform is supported by everyone 
from labor unions to religious leaders to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 
Let's get it done once and for all.

[[Page H1205]]

  Folks, advancing liberty and justice also requires protecting the 
rights of women. The constitutional right affirmed by Roe v. Wade, 
standing precedent for half a century, is under attack as never before.
  If we want to go forward, not backward, we must protect access to 
healthcare, preserve a woman's right to choose, and continue to advance 
maternal healthcare in America.
  And, folks, for our LGBTQ-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 is simply wrong.
  I said last year, especially to our younger transgender Americans, I 
will always have your back as your President so you can be yourself and 
reach your God-given potential.
  Folks, as I have just demonstrated, while it often appears we do not 
agree, we do agree on a lot more things than we acknowledge. I signed 
80 bipartisan bills into law last year, from preventing government 
shutdowns, to protecting Asian Americans from still-too-common hate 
crimes, to reforming military justice. And soon, we will strengthen the 
Violence Against Women Act that I first wrote three decades ago.
  It is important for us to show the Nation we can come together and do 
big things. Tonight, I am offering a unity agenda for the Nation. Four 
big things we can do together.
  First, beat the opioid epidemic. There is so much we can do. Increase 
funding for prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery. Get 
rid of outdated rules that stop doctors from prescribing treatments. 
Stop the flow of illicit drugs by working with State and local law 
enforcement to go after traffickers. If you are suffering from 
addiction, know you are not alone. I believe in recovery, and I 
celebrate the 23 million Americans in recovery.
  Second, 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 to 
make up for lost learning. I urge every parent to make sure your school 
does just that, they have the money. We can all play a part--sign up to 
be a tutor or a mentor. Children were also struggling before the 
pandemic: bullying, violence, trauma, and the harms of social media.
  As Frances Haugen--who is here tonight with us--has shown, we must 
hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment 
they are conducting on our children for profit. Thank you for the 
courage you showed.
  It is time to strengthen privacy protection, ban targeted advertising 
to children, demand tech companies stop collecting personal data on our 
children. 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 healthcare if we treat it that way in our insurance.
  The third piece of that agenda is support our veterans. Veterans are 
the backbone and the spine of this country. They are the best of us. I 
have always believed that we have a sacred obligation to equip all 
those we send to war and care for them and their family when they come 
home.
  My administration is providing assistance in job training, housing, 
and now helping lower-income veterans get VA care debt-free. Our troops 
in Iraq and Afghanistan have faced many dangers. One was stationed at 
bases and breathing in toxic smoke from burn pits. Many of you have 
been there. I have been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan over 40 
times. These burn pits incinerate waste, the waste of war--medical, 
hazardous material, jet fuel, and so much more.
  When they come home, many of the world's fittest and best-trained 
warriors in the world are never the same--headaches, numbness, 
dizziness, and a cancer that would put them in a flag-draped coffin. I 
know. One of those soldiers was 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--was the cause 
of his brain cancer, or the diseases of so many of our troops, but I am 
committed to finding out everything we can.
  I am committed to military families like Danielle 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. He was 
stationed near Baghdad just yards from burn pits the size of football 
fields.
  Danielle is here with us tonight. They loved going to Ohio State 
football games. They loved building Legos with their daughter, but 
cancer from prolonged exposure to burn pits ravaged Heath's 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. The VA is pioneering new 
ways of linking toxic exposure to diseases and is already helping more 
veterans get benefits. Tonight, I am announcing we are expanding 
eligibility to veterans suffering from nine respiratory cancers.
  I am also calling on Congress to pass a law to make sure veterans 
devastated by toxic exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan finally get the 
benefits and comprehensive healthcare they deserve.
  Fourth, and last, let's end cancer as we know it. This is personal. 
This is personal to Jill and me, Kamala, and so many of you. So many of 
you have lost someone you loved: husband, wife, son, daughter, mom, 
dad.
  Cancer is the number two cause of death in America, second only to 
heart disease. Last month I announced the plan to supercharge the 
Cancer Moonshot that President Obama asked me to lead 6 years ago. Our 
goal is to cut the cancer death rate by at least 50 percent over the 
next 25 years--and I think we can do better than that--turn more 
cancers from death sentences into treatable diseases, and more support 
for patients and their families.

  To get there, I call on Congress to fund what I called ARPA-H, 
Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. It is patterned after 
DARPA, the Defense Department project that led to the internet, GPS, 
and so much more that make our forces safer and able to wage war with 
more clarity.
  ARPA-H will have a singular purpose, to drive breakthroughs in 
cancer, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and more. A unity agenda for the Nation. 
We can do these things. It is within our power. I don't see a partisan 
edge to any one of those four things.
  My fellow Americans, tonight we have gathered in this sacred space, 
the citadel of our democracy. In this Capitol, generation after 
generation, Americans have debated great questions amid great strife 
and have done great things. We fought for freedom, expanded liberty, 
defeated totalitarianism and terror.
  We built the strongest, freest, and most prosperous Nation the world 
has ever known. Now is the hour, our moment of responsibility, and 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 will meet the test, protect freedom and 
liberty, expand fairness and opportunity, and we will save democracy. 
As hard as those times have been, I am more optimistic about America 
today than I have been my whole life because I see the future that is 
within our grasp because I know there is simply nothing beyond our 
capacity.
  We are the only nation on Earth that has always turned every crisis 
we have faced into an opportunity. We are the only nation that can be 
defined by a single word: possibilities.
  So on this night, in our 245th year as a nation, I have come to 
report on 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 than we were a year ago, and we will be stronger a 
year from now than we are today.
  Now 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.
  May God bless you all. May God protect our troops.
  Go get him.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  At 10 o'clock and 27 minutes p.m., the President of the United 
States, accompanied by the committee of escort, retired from the Hall 
of the House of Representatives.

[[Page H1206]]

  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms escorted the invited guests 
from the Chamber in the following order:
  The members of the President's Cabinet;
  The Chief Justice of the United States and the Associate Justices of 
the Supreme Court;
  The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.

                          ____________________