(Hill) – President Biden conspicuously failed to mention some key topics in his first address on the state of the Union on Tuesday, ignoring five key issues.
Debt on student loans, the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, the former President Trumpthe January 6 uprising and the upcoming by-elections were out of focus for a speech that lasted just over an hour.
Here are five things Biden didn’t include in his address.
Student loans
The president did not mention the abolition of student debt, a problem that Democrats called on him to solve throughout his tenure.
Lawmakers have called on the president to ensure any transparency on the issue, as widespread student loan forgiveness has received support among Democratic leaders, such as the Senate majority leader Charles Schumer (DN.Y.).
In 2020, Biden campaigned to forgive at least $ 10,000 in federal student loans per person, and progressives urged him to increase that figure to $ 50,000 per borrower.
In April, Biden requested a note from the Department of Education to determine his authority to cancel student debt. Since then, the administration has not publicly announced whether the note has been completed.
Responding to a question on the subject, the White House recently pointed to a freeze on federal payments on student loans, which Biden extended from January to early May. The freeze began through a moratorium imposed under then-President Trump in March 2020, and has continued several times.
Afghanistan
Biden received an immediate reaction during his speech for failing to mention the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, which was a low mark in the first year of his rule.
MP Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), Who is the first green beret elected to Congress and has served on several tours in Afghanistan, called the lack of mention of the withdrawal a disgrace.
“What a shameful whitewash. Thirteen U.S. Gold Star moms and thousands of Afghan allies deserve answers, ”he said, noting 13 U.S. servicemen who died in a terrorist attack at Kabul airport in August.
During the speech of the rep. Lauren Bobert (R-Colo.) Shouted at Biden, accusing him of putting American troops in coffins. An unusual and shocking violation of decency occurred when Biden discussed how many U.S. servicemen stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan had contracted cancer from exposure to toxic smoke from massive burns, including his late son, who may have suffered from toxic burns.
“A cancer that would put them in a coffin covered with a flag,” Biden said. “I know-“
“You put them on, 13 of them!” Cried Bobert.
Biden defended his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, despite criticism from Republicans and Democrats for how the exit was handled. Last month, he said he had rejected reports and findings of an army investigation report in which military officials reportedly criticized Biden administration officials for withdrawing.
Trump
Biden did not name his predecessor, former President Trump.
The president very rarely directly calls Trump by name in speeches, but tends to mention his predecessor. In several areas on Tuesday, he hinted at Trump.
“Unlike the $ 2 trillion tax cut in the previous administration that benefited 1 percent of Americans, the U.S. bailout plan helped working people and left no one behind,” Biden said, criticizing Trump’s 2017 tax plan.
He later said that “we have finished talking about infrastructure weeks”, advertising the two-party infrastructure law, which was passed in November. “Infrastructure Week” became a joke in Washington when Trump spent a dim week of activities for his trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal.
The focus of Biden’s speech was unity, and he proposed a “unity agenda” or four items he urged Congress to adopt on a bipartisan basis, including fighting the opioid epidemic, providing resources for children’s mental health, supporting veterans and ending cancer.
January 6th
Biden’s speech took place in a hall where a little over a year ago a crowd of Trump supporters stormed in to protest the certification of the 2020 election results. But during his speech he did not mention the events of January 6.
To mark the anniversary of the uprising, Biden addressed the Statue Hall and strongly rebuked Trump for spreading the “web of lies.” He also did not mention Trump by name in those statements, referring to him throughout his speech.
The fence around the U.S. Capitol, which stood for months after the uprising, was again put in front of the address on Tuesday. Up to 700 U.S. National Guard personnel were also on hand to assist local law enforcement in the event of a problem.
The fence was also installed in case of a protest against the mandates for the COVID-19 vaccine for truck drivers, as recently in Canada. But plans to arrive a convoy of trucks to Washington, D.C., around Union State seemed to have disappeared.
intermediate semesters
A few months before the by-elections in 2022, the president did not mention the upcoming election in his address.
Democrats are facing a sharp rise to retain their majority in Congress in the midterm elections this fall, with sad ratings of Biden’s approval mostly from the low to mid-40s. In addition, the party of the president usually suffers losses in the by-elections.
Biden on Tuesday spoke of inflation and his administration’s efforts to cut prices for Americans. Rising inflation has affected Biden’s approval ratings and poses a challenge for Democrats who want to retain control of the House and Senate this year.
He also spoke at length about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and coordinated steps by the United States and its allies to condemn Moscow and impose sanctions. The deadly invasion could throw the wrench in the by-elections, as voters are likely to closely monitor Biden’s efforts to counter Russian aggression.