WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will deliver his annual State of the Union address on March 7.
In a letter sent to the White House on Saturday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., extended the formal invitation to Biden to speak before a joint session of Congress. Johnson said he was inviting Biden “at this moment of great challenge for our country.” On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Biden accepted. “I'm looking forward to it, Mr. Chairman,” the president said.
This will be Johnson's first State of the Union address as speaker, who traditionally sits behind the president and to his left when addressing Congress. This year's speech will provide an opportunity for Biden to lay out his broader vision and policy priorities as he campaigns for re-election in November.
Notably, Biden's speech is scheduled after a few crucial deadlines to avoid a government shutdown.
Funding for federal agencies that oversee programs for veterans, as well as transportation, housing, agriculture and energy, expires Jan. 19. Funding for the rest of the federal government, including the Pentagon, State Department and Homeland Security, will run out. February 2.
The president's annual address to Congress is typically scheduled for late January or February.
Biden's March 7 speech would be the last a president has delivered the State of the Union address since 1934, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt revived the practice of delivering the annual address in person. Before this year, the last time a State of the Union was given was in 2022, when Biden delivered it on March 1 of that year, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In last year's State of the Union address, Biden repeatedly stated that he would “finish the job” on crucial parts of his agenda that remained incomplete, such as capping insulin costs for all Americans, taking more aggressive action on climate change, banning so-called assault weapons and pushing for higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
It was also his first State of the Union address before a divided Congress, and some Republicans in the House of Representatives interrupted and jeered Biden, especially when he spoke about some Republican lawmakers' efforts to cut health care and Social Security .