TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — President Joe Biden addressed Congress and the nation in his second State of the Union address Tuesday night.
President Biden took an optimistic tone tonight as he addressed the country before a divided Congress for the first time. He touted his accomplishments while laying out his vision for the future, including stronger protection of the country’s borders.
"We now have a record number of personnel working to secure the border," President Biden said. "Arresting 8,000 human smugglers. Seizing over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl."
President Biden's message throughout the night was one of hope, saying, "We don’t think anything is beyond our capacity; anything is a possibility."
"The unemployment rate is 3.4%, a 50-year low," said President Biden when speaking on unemployment and inflation. "Inflation has fallen every month for the last six months, while take-home pay has gone up."
The president would also address the nation's infrastructure and how it's the key to a stronger economy.
"To maintain the strongest economy in the world, we need the best infrastructure in the world," he said.
He would go on to say that the many projects being undertaken across the country will "put thousands of people to work rebuilding our highways, our bridges, our railroads, our tunnels, ports, airports, clean water, high-speed internet all across America."
Other key issues the president spoke about included bringing factory jobs back to America, lowering healthcare costs and cutting the country’s deficit.
Things weren't all positive during the president's speech, however. He was booed when he mentioned that some Republicans want to cut social security and Medicare. A claim the GOP denies.
While President Biden was optimistic about America’s future, he would plead with Republican lawmakers to work together to get things done.
"If we could work together in the last Congress, there’s no reason we can’t work together and find consensus on important things in this Congress as well," he said.
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Kenny Darr is a reporter for KGUN 9. He joined the team in January 2023. Before arriving in Arizona he was an Anchor and Reporter at KADN in Lafayette, LA. Share your story ideas with Kenny by emailing kenny.darr@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
