Lawmakers in Washington and their staff have been under serious stress the past year amid multiple national crises and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that stress is about to compound with President Biden’s planned State of the Union address.
Biden is slated to give his presidential address on the national outlook on Tuesday, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have a wish list of what the president will touch on in his speech.
South Carolina Republican Rep. Ralph Norman told Fox News Digital in a Monday phone interview that he wants to see Biden highlight the "heroism" exuded by the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
RASHIDA TLAIB TO GIVE BIDEN STATE OF THE UNION RESPONSE ON FAR-LEFT GROUP’S BEHALF
President Joe Biden points to the Oval Office as he arrives on Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Norman also said he thinks Biden’s actions going forward will speak louder than his words at the State of the Union.
"I mean, just let Americans open up their businesses again, let Americans continue to take their mask off, let Americans in our military who don't want to sacrifice their medical freedoms not have to take a shot, let Americans be free," Norman said. "Instead of putting handcuffs on us, he needs to free this country, get the gift, the shackles off of Americans."
"I don't want words," he also said. "We want action."
Rep. Ralph Norman (Handout)
Meanwhile, South Dakota GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson said in a phone interview with Fox News Digital that he believes Biden’s "speech will be a failure if it doesn't include the twin pillars of Ukraine and inflation."
"The president needs to lay out a clear, cohesive and bipartisan strategy for dealing with both of those. I think the last few days has been very good on Ukraine. I think we have, although initially the action the president took, I think, was quite modest and underwhelming, I think in recent days we have been headed in the right direction," Johnson said, highlighting the recent sanctions on Russia’s central bank.
"With regard to inflation, I hope the president doesn't just step forward with some big government solutions," he also said. "I mean, giving America deficit spending to put more money in Americans pockets to help them deal with inflation will move us in the wrong direction."
Rep. Dusty Johnson speaks at a news conference in Washington on the bipartisan emergency COVID-19 relief bill on Dec. 21, 2020. (Reuters/Ken Cedeno)
Democrat Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine’s office pointed to an MSNBC interview answer the senator gave to a similar question with the Rev. Al Sharpton.
"If I were President Biden I would start with the candid acknowledgment that the last two years have been nearly the toughest two years in most Americans' lives," Kaine said. "The global pandemic, which has hit America hard… I think President Biden should say, ‘Let’s just be honest folks, the last two years have been among the toughest in modern American history,'" the senator continued. "However, COVID numbers are coming down, the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] is suggesting, because of vaccinations and other things, we can start to shed masks not only outdoors but indoors in much of the country."
Kaine also said the president should highlight "strong economic trends, job growth, wage growth, GDP growth, and an economic challenge, inflation, that we have to get a hold of. But I believe, even in these tough times we can see a little bit of a sense of uplift as we get not past COVID, but we start to live more normally with COVID."
Sen. Tim Kaine speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington on April 27, 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said that he is looking "forward" to the president's Tuesday address, saying Biden "has enjoyed robust support from progressives" and that he is "proud of what Democrats have accomplished."
"Since he’s taken office, we’ve passed the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, and created 6.6 million jobs," Khanna said. "I expect a central part of President Biden’s speech to be focused on Ukraine. His Administration has unified our NATO allies in condemning Putin’s invasion and imposing strong sanctions."
"This is a dangerous moment in history. We need to stand firmly with Ukrainians in the defense of their nation and provide them with weapons and humanitarian relief," he continued. "When it comes to his domestic agenda, I hope President Biden speaks directly to Americans in places that have been left out."
Khanna said he believes BIden "should talk about the importance of passing the America COMPETES Act," noting that "technology infrastructure and manufacturing in the United States to compete with rivals like China has bipartisan support and needs to be a priority."
A White House official told Fox News Digital in a statement that during the State of the Union address Tuesday, Biden "will make a strong case that the Biden-Harris economic strategy to rebuild the economy from the bottom up and the middle out is producing historic results, and he will lay out his plan for the work ahead."
"He will underscore that during his first year in office, in large part due to the American Rescue Plan, entrepreneurship and business investment rebounded, and the economy achieved its fastest job growth in American history, the fastest economic growth in nearly 40 years, and a faster recovery than every other advanced economy in the G7," the spokesperson said.
"During his first State of the Union Address, the president will also make clear that there is more work to do to rebuild the economy toward resilience, security and sustainability," they continued. "Specifically, the president will lay out his plan to lower costs for American families while continuing an historically strong economic recovery."
Biden’s State of the Union address comes amid several national crises, including the compounding situation at the southern border, an opioid overdose epidemic taking the lives of young Americans across the nation, and rampant inflation only made worse by what’s going on overseas.
Foreign policy appears to be the Achilles’ heel of the Biden administration, with the president’s speech also occurring amid the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Republicans are expected to give their rebuttal to the State of the Union on Tuesday, highlighting the state of America under Biden’s policies.
In an odd move trying to undercut Biden, "Squad" member Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., will also be giving a rebuttal speech for the progressives.
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