Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.When President Joe Biden condemned the January 6 Capitol riot and praised the resilience of American democracy at the beginning of his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, plenty in the House chamber stood and applauded.
Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the House, did not.
Mr McCarthy, who took over as Speaker after a grueling battle last month, sat silently behind Mr Biden’s podium as the president referenced the failure of an insurrection that would have prevented him from ever taking office and instead kept former President Donald Trump in charge.
State of the Union 2023 – live: Biden hits back at GOP heckling as Kevin McCarthy refuses to applaud speech
Joe Biden says US will not let China ‘threaten our sovereignty’ after shooting down spy balloon
Mitt Romeny told George Santos he doesn’t belong in Congress during tense exchange before State of the Union
“Two years ago, democracy faced its greatest threat since the Civil War — and today, though bruised, our democracy remains unbowed and unbroken,” Mr Biden said.
Moments before Mr McCarthy sat stony-faced through Mr Biden’s remarks about the state of American democracy, the president joked that he looked forward to working with the new Speaker.
“Mr Speaker, I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working with you,” Mr Biden said.
Mr Biden called out both party’s House and Senate leaders, congratulating Sens Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, Mr McCarthy, and Rep Hakeem Jeffries of New York on their leadership positions in the new Congress. He also praised former Speaker Nancy Pelosi at her first State of the Union address since stepping aside as Democratic leader in the House.
Mr Biden has focused his speech largely on economic issues, including the tax code, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the greed of wealthy corporations — calling on Republicans to work with him to pass more bipartisan legislation in the next two years to increase competition in the market.
Mr McCarthy, the Republican leader since former Speaker Paul Ryan’s retirement in 2019, was elected Speaker after fifteen ballots in early January, overcoming stiff opposition from a number of the far right members of his caucus.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments