[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,
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
____________________