2024 State of the Union Talking Points

Summary: In his State of the Union address, President Biden delivered a forceful and vigorous defense of his agenda and accomplishments, and a strong rebuke of the GOP’s policies and the threat posed by Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans to our freedom and democracy, at home and abroad. Below are key points from the State of the Union address:.

The Future of Democracy

• Not since the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault here at home as they are today. 
• Republican-led efforts, such as the January 6th insurrection, election denialism, election subversion, and voter suppression posed a grave threat to our democracy.
• President Biden calls on all of us, without regard to party, to join together and defend our democracy.

Russia/Ukraine

• Overseas, Putin is on the march. He will not stop at Ukraine but will continue to decimate American allies and the rest of the free world. 
• Assistance for Ukraine is being blocked by those who want us to walk away from our leadership in the world. 
• President Biden’s message to Putin: “We will not walk away. We will not bow down.”

Reproductive Rights

• At home, there are ongoing attacks on reproductive rights.
• In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court majority wrote, “Women are not without electoral or political power.”
• President Biden reminded Republicans: “Clearly those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women. They found out though when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they will find out again, in 2024.”
• If the American people reelect President Biden and a Democratic Congress, he will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.

Economic Accomplishments & Vision

• President Biden outlined his accomplishments, decreasing inflation, increasing jobs, cutting student loan debt, and increasing infrastructure – all since COVID.
• He talked about an economic plan based on fairness and strengthening the middle class, starting with a fair tax code that makes the wealthy pay their fair share. 
• President Biden proposed a minimum tax of 25% for billionaires, which would raise $500 Billion over the next 10 years.
• Under President Biden’s plan nobody earning less than $400,000 will pay an additional penny in federal taxes.
• President Biden pledged to restore the Child Tax Credit for millions of working families.

Immigration & Border Security

• The bipartisan border deal would save lives and secure the border, but Trump and his MAGA extremist GOP followers killed the deal. 
• Still, passing it now will ease the border crisis, slow the flow of fentanyl, and save American lives.

Israel and Gaza

• The last five months have been gut-wrenching for so many people, for the Israeli people, the Palestinian people, and so many here in America. 
• This crisis began on October 7th with a massacre of 1,200 innocent people, many enduring sexual violence in the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. 
• Hamas took 250 hostages, and Hamas could end this conflict today by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and surrendering those responsible for October 7th.
• President Biden is working to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks, bring the hostages home, ease the humanitarian crisis, and build towards enduring peace. The United States has been leading international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
• President Biden is directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean to enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian aid getting into Gaza.