President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address was a boisterous affair on Tuesday night, with Republicans in attendance routinely heckling, shouting and booing as he described his accomplishments and vision for the nation.
It’s a far cry from “You’re lying!” happened in 2009, when Rep. Joe Wilson (RS.C.) shouted at President Barack Obama during a speech. The event was so extraordinary that Wilson was formally admonished by the House of Representatives.
But politics in 2023 is a different affair, with some Republican lawmakers making a national name for themselves as the loudest characters in the room. So what did the GOP do?
Biden called out Republicans who want to cut pension benefits.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), wearing a fluffy white coat, had the most significant outburst of the night, as Biden lied after saying some Republicans wanted to implement the future of Social Security and Medicare. risk.
“Instead of making the rich pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to expire every five years,” the president said, referring to an unpopular but realistic proposal by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) program for the process which will end unless Congress chooses to renew it.
“Lie!” Greene shouted as other Republicans shouted “No!” from his seat.
Some Republicans have signaled that they want to eliminate aspects of Social Security and Medicare with their new, albeit slim, majority in the House. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has backed away from the idea in recent weeks, saying the party “doesn’t touch” the program.
The president said almost a quarter of the national debt wracked up under Trump.
Biden talked about his plan to close a loophole that allows wealthy Americans and corporations to avoid paying taxes, saying his administration is working to be fiscally responsible. He took a direct swing at the Trump era, saying the nation’s debt rose under the former president.
“No president has increased the national debt in four years more than before,” Biden said on Tuesday. “Almost 25% of all national debt, which took more than 200 years to accumulate, was added to just one administration. “That’s a fact. Check it out.”
It’s true (with some caveats), but Republicans don’t like it.
Biden spoke to a father whose daughter died of a fentanyl overdose.
The White House invited Doug Griffin, an elder from New Hampshire, as a guest to the State of the Union address. Griffin’s daughter, Courtney, died of a fentanyl overdose in 2014, a tragedy her father described as the worst pain of his life.
Biden said he wants the U.S. to launch a major effort to combat fentanyl production and trafficking.
Republicans in the audience, outraged by Biden’s immigration policy on the Mexican border, used the anecdote as a platform to issue a warning, shouting: “It’s your fault!”
McCarthy appeared to be hiding from her teammates after the interaction.
Biden talked about China.
The president spoke about his dealings with China on Tuesday, just days after the US shot down a Chinese balloon believed to be part of a US spying mission. Biden said he was committed to working with China but vowed to “act to protect our country.” if Beijing threatens American sovereignty.
The comment prompted an outburst from Greene and another shush from McCarthy.
He talked about border security.
The president said his administration has been working hard to secure the southern border, step up efforts to combat the spread of fentanyl and combat illegal migration into the country. He then called on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for those who came to the US as children and for other undocumented immigrants.
“Here in the people’s house, it’s our job to protect all the people’s rights and freedoms,” Biden said.
Republicans hollered, and McCarthy fell silent again.