Washington: In an effort to combat national pessimism and negotiate political stalemates in Washington, President Joe Biden will use his State of the Union address on Tuesday night to urge Republicans to join him in "finishing the job" of rebuilding the economy and bringing the country together.

The annual speech comes as the country tries to understand confusing crosscurrents at home and abroad, including economic uncertainty, a tiresome war in Ukraine, rising tensions with China, and more. The nation is also warily evaluating Biden's suitability for a potential reelection bid. Rather than presenting eye-catching policy ideas, the president is providing a reassuring assessment of the state of the country.

According to excerpts made available beforehand by the White House, Biden is stating that "the story of America is a story of progress and resilience." He emphasises the record number of jobs created during his administration as the nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. And he says that two years after the uprising at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the nation's democracy is "unbowed and unbroken."

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Biden is highlighting areas of bipartisan progress in his first two years in office, including on states' essential infrastructure and high tech manufacturing, with Republicans now in control of the House. There is no reason why we can't cooperate in this new Congress, he continues.

The people clearly communicated with us. We get nowhere when we engage in conflict for the sake of conflict, power for the sake of power, or fighting for the sake of fighting, according to Biden. And that has always been my goal for the nation: to reunite the country by rebuilding the middle class, which serves as the country's backbone.

"We are here to complete the task," said the group.

According to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only 25% of US adults believe that the country is moving in the right direction as the president addresses the House. About three-quarters believe that things are going in the wrong direction. Furthermore, the majority of Democrats oppose Biden's running for re-election.

His assistants claim that he is addressing these opinions head-on. I understand that you wonder if there is even a way for you and your family to advance without leaving, Biden says. "For this reason, we're constructing an economy that leaves no one behind. Because of the decisions we made over the past two years, jobs and pride are returning.

In contrast to last year, when Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker and a pillar of the Democratic Party, was seated behind Biden, tighter-than-usual security measures have returned as a result of the 2021 attack. Republican Kevin McCarthy has replaced Pelosi, and it was unknown how agitated Republicans in the chamber would treat the Democratic president.

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The president used the term "extreme MAGA Republicans" on the campaign trail in 2022. McCarthy on Monday pledged to be "respectful" during the speech and asked Biden to do the same.

McCarthy told reporters, in reference to Pelosi's dramatic action following President Donald Trump's final State of the Union address, "I won't tear up the speech, I won't play games."

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor of Arkansas who rose to prominence as Donald Trump's press secretary, was scheduled to give the Republican response to Vice President Biden's speech.

The majority of her remarks were to be devoted to social issues, such as the role of race in business and education and the purported censorship of conservatives by big tech.

She was to say, according to excerpts released by her office, "The Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day, while you reap the consequences of their failures." The majority of Americans just want to live in freedom and peace, but we are being attacked in a left-wing culture war we didn't start and never intended to fight.

The White House and lawmakers from both parties invited guests in order to reinforce political messages with their presence in the House chamber after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. One group that is anticipated to be seated with first lady Jill Biden includes the parents of Tyre Nichols, who was fatally injured after being severely beaten by police in Memphis. The musician and humanitarian Bono and the 26-year-old who stopped the gunman in the shooting in Monterey Park, California, last month are among Biden's other guests.

In an effort to push for police reform in the wake of Nichols' death, members of the Congressional Black Caucus invited the families of those who had been injured by police. According to a White House fact sheet released prior to the speech, reducing violence and improving police training could both result in decreased crime nationwide.

After spending his first two years working to pass significant legislation like the bipartisan infrastructure package, legislation to support high-tech manufacturing, and climate measures, Biden is changing his focus. Now that the Republicans are in charge of the House, he is concentrating on enacting those extensive laws and ensuring that voters give him credit for the advancements.

The change was largely forced. The newly empowered GOP is eager to undermine many of his accomplishments and has promised to look into a number of matters, including the recent discovery of classified documents from his time as vice president at his residence and former workplace.

In order to keep the government funded by raising the federal debt ceiling by this summer, Biden will also need to find a way to compromise with Republicans and Democrats. Republicans are adamant that he must make spending cuts, despite his insistence that he won't negotiate on paying off the nation's debt.

McCarthy pressed Biden to meet with House Republicans and discuss spending cuts as part of an agreement to raise the debt ceiling on the eve of the president's speech. We must work towards a balanced budget and demand sincere accountability for every dollar we spend, according to McCarthy.

Biden was reissuing his 2022 call for Congress to support his "unity agenda" of actions to address the opioid epidemic, mental health, veterans' health, and cancer, even though chances for widespread bipartisanship are slim.

In addition to announcing new executive actions, he was expected to urge lawmakers to support new legislation that would increase access to mental health care, support cancer research, address veteran suicide and housing needs, and further crack down on deadly fentanyl trafficking.

According to the White House, the president would demand that the nation as a whole be covered by the new $35 monthly price cap on insulin for Medicare recipients. Additionally, he would urge Congress to quadruple the 1% tax on corporate share buybacks that was included in the Democrats' climate and healthcare bill, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, that was passed last year.

The speech was given just a few days after Biden instructed the military to shoot down a balloon believed to be a Chinese spy that had daringly flown across the country, captivating the public and serving as a reminder of tense relations between the two superpowers.

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The speech from the previous year took place just a few days after Russia invaded Ukraine, and many people in the West had doubts about Kyiv's ability to withstand the assault. Tens of billions of dollars in military and economic support from the US and other allies have been sent in the last year to strengthen Ukraine's defences. Now that the war is dragging on, Biden must argue both domestically and internationally for maintaining that coalition.