Politics
In his State of the Union address, President Biden spoke directly to Americans, saying, “Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like they’re invisible. Maybe that’s you, watching at home.”
He also called on Republicans to work in a bipartisan manner. “You know, my Republican friends, we could work together the last Congress. There’s no reason we can’t work together and find consensus on important things in this Congress.”
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Feb. 7
Members of Congress pose for pictures in the House chamber.
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Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who fabricated large portions of his biography while campaigning, speaks with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.).
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
Reps. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), the Democrats' former top House leaders, arrive ahead of the president's address.
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Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, left, arrives in the House chamber.
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Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
First lady Jill Biden acknowledges U2 frontman and activist Bono.
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Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
Vice President Harris shakes hands with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
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Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
President Biden arrives at the House Chamber to deliver his State of the Union address.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
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Feb. 7
Biden hands his speech to McCarthy.
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
President Biden kicked off the speech by congratulating Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for becoming House speaker.
“I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you,” Biden joked, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Biden then congratulated House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), noting that he’s the first African American minority leader in history.
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Feb. 7
Biden addresses Congress.
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Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
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Feb. 7
A group of centrist lawmakers sat together: Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), left, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Republicans and Democrats largely sat separately in the House chamber. But Sens. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), both of whom tout their bipartisanship, sat in a Republican row.
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Feb. 7
Biden delivers his address.
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), left, Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) cheer during the speech.
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
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One of the most disruptive moments came after Biden said some Republicans wanted to “sunset” Medicare and Social Security, prompting loud protests from the GOP side of the chamber.
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Feb. 7
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) yells during the president's speech.
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) stood up and called Biden a liar; others followed. Biden continued by emphasizing that it was “not a majority of Republicans” but that some of them were proposing it — after which at least one GOP lawmaker yelled, “Then don’t say it!”
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Feb. 7
The joint session of Congress.
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Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
Harris and McCarthy watch Biden speak.
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Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
The Supreme Court justices sat quietly after Biden said the court had “taken away” the right to an abortion. Only two in the majority on the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade were in the chamber: Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Chief Justice John G. Roberts voted to uphold the restrictive Mississippi abortion law at issue but wrote that he would have left Roe in place. The others — Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch — did not attend.
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Feb. 7
The Supreme Court justices who attended the speech.
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Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
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The parents of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died three days after being beaten by Memphis police, received a bipartisan standing ovation as Biden urged action on police reform.
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Feb. 7
RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, center left, mother and stepfather of Nichols, stand after being acknowledged by Biden.
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Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
Brandon Tsay, credited with subduing a gunman in Alhambra, Calif., after a mass killing in nearby Monterey Park, raises his hand after being acknowledged by the president.
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post
Biden introduced Brandon Tsay, one of his State of the Union guests, and recounted how the 26-year-old “found the courage to act” and disarmed a gunman who had killed 11 people in Monterey Park, Calif.
“He saved lives — it’s time we do the same,” Biden said. “Ban assault weapons now!”
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Feb. 7
Paul Pelosi, husband of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, is acknowledged.
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Biden praised Paul Pelosi, husband of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Paul Pelosi was brutally attacked at their home late last year, Biden recalled, but has been recovering and is “as resilient as they get.”
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Feb. 7
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, gets a standing ovation.
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
An attendee takes a photograph of Biden after his speech.
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post
Feb. 7
Biden laughs with lawmakers after the address.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
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