Biden delivers first SOTU

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, March 1.
Amid rising inflation, a record-low approval rating and an intensifying conflict in Ukraine as Russian forces escalate efforts, Biden attempted to rally the country. 
“Throughout our history, we’ve learned this lesson: When dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos,” Biden said in his 62-minute speech. “They keep moving and the costs, the threats to America and to the world keep rising.” 
The U.S., along with its NATO allies, continues to tighten sanctions on Russian in an attempt to quell the conflict without escalating it. On March 1. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined the efforts by sending a letter to State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks, ordering her to divest trust funds from Russia and hold a special meeting with the State of Michigan Investment Board to do the same with the state’s pension plan. 
“Michiganders may feel concerned about the impacts this situation will have on Michigan’s economy,” Whitmer said in a news release the morning before Biden’s address. “For that reason, I will continue to monitor any potential disruptions to our supply chains and prices to protect Michiganders’ pocketbooks and put Michiganders first.”
Later that evening, the President announced that the U.S. would join other NATO allies in closing off U.S. airspace to all Russian flights.
Against the backdrop of rising fuel prices, he also announced that the U.S. will release 30 million barrels of oil from its reserves, while working with 30 other countries to release an additional 30 million barrels from reserves around the globe. 
Following a year that marked bitter acrimony between the president’s coalition and Republican opposition, a standing ovation in salute to Ukranians displayed a fresh if brief show of unity. 
Turning his attention to problems at home, Biden outlined his plans to address inflation by reinvesting in American manufacturing, speeding supply chains and reducing costs of childcare and eldercare. 
Biden also noted a rare bipartisan success, funding infrastructure through the Infrastructure and Jobs Act passed last November — an unfulfilled campaign promise of former-president Donald Trump. 
“I want to thank the members of both parties who worked to make it happen,” Biden said. “We’re done talking about infrastructure weeks; we’re now talking about an infrastructure decade. It is going to transform America, to 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’ve told [Chinese President] Xi Jinping, it is never a good bet to bet against the American people. We’ll create good jobs for millions of Americans, modernizing roads, airports, ports and waterways all across America.”
Biden entered the House chamber maskless, as did most attendees — a sign of hope for a pandemic-fatigued nation. 
“Most Americans in the country can now go mask-free,” he said, later adding: “Our schools are open — let’s keep it that way. Our  kids need to be in school, and with 75% of adult Americans fully vaccinated and hospitalizations down by 77%, most Americans can remove their masks and stay in the classroom, and move forward safely.”
With a midterm election looming this November and Democrats increasingly concerned over losing control of the House of Representatives and Senate, a February poll by the Associated Press put the President’s approval rating at a dismal 44%. Biden boasted a 60% approval rating as recently as last July.