Speaker Mike Johnson has invited President Biden to Congress for his annual State of the Union address – marking a historically late date in the presidential primary season.
A brief two-sentence note, sent to the White House on Saturday, asked Biden to appear before a joint session of Congress on Thursday, March 7.
“In this time of great challenge for our country, it is my responsibility to extend this invitation,” Johnson wrote in his letter. sent to X.
The date, which Johnson has the power to set, falls two days after Super Tuesday, when primary voters and caucus participants in 17 states — including delegate-rich California, Texas and North Carolina — head to the polls.
Presidents since Franklin D. Roosevelt have traditionally given the speech in January or February.
Biden’s 2022 speech was delivered on March 1 — previously the most recent in modern presidential history.
Speaker Mike Johnson will deliver his first State of the Union address on March 7. Reuters
Johnson sent a brief two-sentence letter to Biden to extend the invitation. X/SpeakerJohnson
But when Congress returns from recess this week, the two chambers remain locked in a budget battle that could trigger a partial government shutdown as early as January 19, with federal funding set to run out entirely on February 2.
The House Oversight Committee is also poised to pursue contempt of Congress charges against Biden’s son Hunter over his refusal to testify in closed-door hearings about his family’s foreign business deals, while the president himself faces an ongoing impeachment inquiry.
The March 7 date sets up a potential showdown for Biden and his Republican opponent at a time when both parties’ presidential nominations could be decided.
The GOP has yet to say who will deliver the party’s customary response to the president’s speech, as former president Donald Trump maintains a significant polling lead over his Republican opponent.
In 2023, the then 80-year-old Biden drew congressional scorn and derision with a flub-filled State of the Union address in which he tripped over Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s title and forgot the name of the ambassador to Ukraine.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
