WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, now halfway through his term, celebrated major legislative wins that are designed to boost U.S. production of semiconductors, electric vehicles, batteries and more during his second State of the Union address.
"We're going to make sure the supply chain for America begins in America," Biden said in a speech late Tuesday from the nation's capital.
The State of the Union comes as Biden now faces a divided Congress with a House Republican majority and as the U.S. emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The president and Congress also face another pressing challenge of reaching a debt limit deal as well as lingering concerns ranging from Russia's war in Ukraine to ongoing tensions with China.
Though Biden said more must be done to support steady U.S. growth and lower costs, he pointed to a resilient economy, with public and private investments in manufacturing and infrastructure continuing across the U.S. and inflation showing signs of improvement.
"Jobs are coming back. Pride is coming back because of choices we made the last several years," Biden said. "This is, in my view, a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America."