Highlights from Joe Biden’s first State of the Union
Last night, President Biden gave his first State of the Union address. If you didn't get a chance to watch it in its entirety, I recommend you do — it was bold, smart, principled, compassionate, and progressive.
In contrast to other politicians' chest-thumping and finger-pointing, Joe Biden showed us what true leadership really looks like.
A few highlights for me:
-The president spoke forcefully about democracy. The world has united against Putin's authoritarian attempt to seize power in Ukraine. The president also called for renewed action to defend democracy and voting rights here at home. Everyone deserves real democracy and the chance to shape their communities.
-He called for the passage of the Equality Act, a bill I wrote and have championed for years. In this country, nobody should be denied service, housing, or public accommodations because they're LGBTQ.
-As our economy recovers, we must ensure that prosperity is shared and that rising costs do not sink families. We can and we must reduce the cost of prescription drugs, energy, transportation, groceries, child care, housing, and education. And as the president said, our economy will be stronger when we build stuff right here in America.
-The climate crisis is more urgent than ever before. Wildfires, floods, extreme storms, droughts, and more make it clear that we must act. We know what to do, we just have to do it. President Biden's commitment to tackle the climate crisis is clear.
Frankly, President Biden's speech served as a bit of a locker-room half-time speech to our team. We got plenty of big things done last year – but there's a lot left undone. This is no time to give up. This is the time to step up, get back in the fight, and win for the American people.
Onward!
Jeff
