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announcer: cox supports c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. ♪ >> tonight, president biden delivers his first state of the union address. it comes 405 days since he took office, 10 months after his first address in front of a joint session of congress. inflation is at a 40 year high, russians invasion of ukraine has raised concerns about political stability in europe. shortly, we expect the president and first lady to depart the white house for the drive down pennsylvania avenue. it is a return to an almost normal pre-pandemic atmosphere in the house chamber. all members of the house and senate are invited to attend

tonight's speech pair albeit without guests. and masks are optional. more on that in a moment. after president biden's speech, republican governor kim reynolds of iowa, sharp critic of the the biden administration, delivers the gop response. that starts five minutes after the conclusion of president biden's remarks. then as you -- than it is your turn. we want to hear from you. what resonated with you and president biden's speech? we will listen to your comments live here on c-span, c-span.org, and on our free c-span now video app. good evening and thanks for joining us for president biden's first state of the union address. this comes after a year where the president has pursued an economic agenda that has been met with partial success, and now with inflation and energy

prices high, and an international crisis in ukraine, the president will seek to address those concerns and lay out an agenda for the coming year. joining us now is katherine tilde mcmanus and of political. -- of politico. what do we know of the president's speech right now? what have we heard? >> the president is going to be striking a dual tone, he wants a project confidence for the year ahead and celebrate the victories the democratic party has had on capitol hill and across the country. including the infrastructure bill and the pandemic aid packag e. however, he is grappling with the reality that many americans are feeling struggled during this time, even if economic indicators are showing improvement, as the pandemic moves forward. everyday americans are feeling

higher gas prices and feeling the pinch of inflation in their monthly budgets. so he will be striking a dual tone of acknowledging the pain that some americans are feeling and trying to celebrate what victories he has had in his first year as president. >> we should know you are not on capitol hill retina. >> i'm not on capitol hill right now. this is one of the four states of the union that i will not be in the chamber for in the last about eight years. but i have many colleagues on the hill tonight who i am in constant contact with. >> what was the mood earlier today? >> you know, it was different. there is of course more people backup the capitol. it is still close to the public. there is a large fence and the entire capitol -- capitol

campus, there are national guard troops at the capitol -- at the capitol once again for security procedures. it's been a mixed response so far this week. some democrats have opted to keep their masks on, especially after a recess week where people are traveling and were with constituents and large groups of people. five members of congress in their pre-state of the union testing had tested positive and will not be at the speech. those folks were planning on going to the speech but got their pre-speech test and had to say, i will be watching from home. >> we are getting the republican

response after the president speaks. but there are other responses happening tonight. correct? the progressive caucus. the congressional black caucus. they are all doing their own responses. >> yes. this is an interesting situation, though not unprecedented. there's a range of democratic responses. while some folks think that that is a great way to show the range of the democratic party, others have raised concerns they could highlight divisions that we know exist within the democratic caucus, both in the house and senate. that has proved to be such a struggle for passing legislation of joe biden's agenda. so, yes, there will be a range, from the working family's party, all the way to the problem solvers caucus that the bipartisan response -- where two

members will be teaming up to give a response. and that is kind of the breadth of it. i do think that each segment of the democratic party will have something different to say about joe biden's spech. -- speech. there are hopes for many while they may focusing on issues that are most near and dear to their specific constituency, ideology, that there is hope that they strike a positive tone in order to keep whatever momentum joe biden has from the speech moving forward. but as i said, there are concerns that this could highlight the divisions among democrats. >> your day starts very early tomorrow, where can people read your analysis? >> politico.com/huddle. i write a daily newsletter about life on capitol hill from legislative action to staff issues.

covering everything in between. >> catherine tilde mcmanus of politico. thanks for your time this evening. also joining us is greta brawner of c-span. >> president biden's first state of the union address tonight and his approval rating stands at 40%, according to gallup. how does that compare to previous presidents? president donald trump had an approval rating of 36% heading into his first state of the union address. president obama was at 50% heading into his first state of the union address. president george w. bush was that 83%. you must note here -- this is less than six months after the september 11th 2001 attacks. if you break that down by issue, which cbs stated in their recent poll, they found the president's approval rating on russia and ukraine stands at 41%. on crime, 39%.

he gets a 38% approval rating on the economy. 37% on immigration. while his approval rating on inflation stands at 30%. the white house yesterday -- white house press secretary told reporters that the economy, specifically inflation, would be a focus of president biden's remarks tonight. here some of what she had to say. >> we talk a lot about inflation. the federal reserve talks about inflation. hugely important. how people experience it is what it means for their pocketbooks, for their budgets, their bank accounts, how they are paying for things. that's why a lot of what you will hear about tomorrow is how he's going to reduce costs. parts of his agenda that he has talked about significantly, a lot over the course of the last several months, lowering costs for child care, for eldercare, for prescription drugs, those are not done yet. he will reiterate his call for congress to move forward on

those. i would also note in the speech, he's going to make clear one of the best ways to lower costs over the long run is to increase the productive capacity of our economy. to make more things in america with more american workers, contributing and earning a good living. american companies betting on america again because of the administration's commitment to domestic industrial revitalization and technological development. he will also explain that we can also lower costs by promoting fair competition in the u.s. economy. there are new steps to lower -- he will talk about steps to lower consumer prices and level the playing field for american businesses and ocean shipping and new steps to protect seniors and other nursing home residents by cracking down on unsafe nursing homes. he will also reflect on one of the strongest labor market recoveries in american history. and make clear that it's important to continue to take steps to eliminate barriers to

good paying jobs for workers across america. i will expect you will hear a lot. the american people will hear a lot about what he's -- about how he's going to lower cost and continue to build a strong economy over the long term. >> the white house press secretary was previewing some of the topics that the president will be talking about. the speech begins at 9 p.m. eastern time, live and unfiltered here at c-span along with the republican response. we haven't gotten a copy of the speech yet. in the past, here are some first states of the union speeches and their lengths. president trump, in our 20 minutes. president obama and clinton came in over an hour. george w. bush, 48 minutes in 2002. let's go back to greta. >> the white house did release excerpts of tonight's speech. the parts they put out are largely on russia.

one tweet says, experts from state of the union speech, a big theme is supreme, inflation come up with and reject efforts of diplomacy, he thought the west and they do wouldn't respond, and he thought he could divide us here at home. boudin was wrong. we were ready. then also, president biden's state of the union message calls out russian invasion -- russia's invasion of ukraine. saying dictators must pay a price or they cause more chaos. victoria spartz represens the fifth district of indiana, she was at a news conference with other republicans. he is what she had to say about the situation in ukraine. >> this is genocide of the ukrainian people by a crazy man

who cannot get over that the ukrainian people do not want socialism, the soviet union, and communism, they want to be with the united states of americam and this president needs -- america, and this president needs to get his act together and exercise leadership. what is happening is an atrocity. what is happening is unforgivable. but i think we will get together as republicans and democrats, but he must act decisively fast, or the blood of many millions of ukrainians will be on his hands, too. and europeans are buying that. the blood of the ukrainian people. so i hope that you are going to help me send this message. because we have debbie strong -- have to be strong. >> ukrainian american lawmaker

victoria spartz wearing the colors of the ukrainian flag today, talking about what she wants to hear from the president tonight on russia. she's not alone. cbs did a poll. when they found what they want americans to hear, 73% want the president to talk about russia and ukraine, 67% the economy, 61% inflation, 52% said the coronavirus. also tonight, the president and the first lady will depart the white house shortly. on their way, they are expected to see flags. the ukrainian and american flags. this tweet, sent out by cnn's dj judge, ukrainian flags along pennsylvania avenue from the white house to the u.s. capitol, the route the president is likely to take in solidarity with ukraine. last week, peter talked with university of wisconsin's retort

professor, allison kratz. hears what she had to say about delivering an address during the time of crisis. >> thinking about lincoln and his 1862 annual message to congress, in those days, these state of the union addresses were actually delivered in written form, but in 1862, abraham lincoln is going to send this message to congress just a month before he will issue the emancipation proclamation, the formal version of it january 1 of 1863. in his speech, we often highlighted because at the end of the written document, lincoln will call the assembled members of congress to basically support and sustain what he calls the nation of the last best hope of earth. >> how our presidents --

how did presidents use the state of the union address during moments of national crises? >> two examples, george w. bush in 2002 as i mentioned, he is speaking to the congress four months after 9/11. the last time they were gathered in this chamber was just nine days after september 11. and he will utilize this moment to both celebrate what he will call u.s. victory in afghanistan after the fall of the taliban but also charting a course for what he is going to call this war on terror and basically sketching this vision that he has of the united states' role in the world to protect and defend democracy. we see it again is a precursor to the decision to go into iraq and the supposed weapons of mass destruction that are used as a rallying cry to set the stage of where we have been in the last four months and where we are going to go in his

administration. you can also look for example that barack obama's first state of the union speech in 2010. obama is speaking at that moment a year into his presidency. in the midst of the great recession. one of the lines that we often hear or expect to hear is the president telling us the state of the union is strong. and we can be honest there are many moments in which it's not strong. obama is pretty explicit about that in 2010. . he acknowledges the pain and the hardship and suffering that's been experienced by millions of americans. towards the end of the speech, he calls congress and the public to strengthen again the state of our union. depending on the crisis and the mama, i president will always utilize it for their particular political and even ideological ends, but they will seek to address the crisis and make sense of it for us, even when making sense of it for us will also serve a political agenda.

>> as greta noted, the american people are looking forward to the president talking about ukraine and inflation, to issues that are national concern at this point. it was 40 years ago in 1982 that air florida flight 90 crashed into the potomac river after taking off from nearby national airport. lenny scott nick was driving home during a snowstorm. when the plane crashed, he dove into the river to help a woman in the river out. it was at that year that the state of the union that president reagan invited lenny scott nick to sit with first lady nancy reagan in the house chamber. and he acknowledged him. that has become a running theme for presidents, to invite guests to the state of the union address. who was president biden inviting

this year? >> that is sure to be the ukrainian ambassador to the u.s. the white house today -- that coming from the white house today. someone sure to get a standing ovation tonight. you have joseph burgess, adjuster davis, -- joshua davis, seven years old and the diabetes advocate, a nurse from ohio, patrick gelsinger, the intel ceo whose company just made a 20 and dollar -- and $20 billion investment in a semiconductor factory, the facebook whistleblower, frances haugen, who many of you saw testify on capitol hill, melissa isaak, tribal leader, danielle robinson of ohio, she is the surviving spouse of sergeant first class who died of lung cancer.

she is now an advocate for victims of burning pits, military burning pits, and kezia rodriguez, a full-time college student and mother who use the american rescue plan to enroll her kids in daycare so that she could go to school. a little bit more with allison on the importance of the time and place of president biden delivering his first hit of the union tonight. >> in the context of the state of the union, i would stress yet again, you've mentioned the mediated aspect of these addresses. beginning with harry truman, their televised. lyndon johnson is the president who brings them into primetime. we imagine or have pictures in our minds of what the stage or the setting of the state of the union address will look like. i think it is important, as viewers are watching the state

of the union address, that might and will deliver, to consider how we compare what might and dust of previous instances of the state of the union address. it's not insignificant, i would argue, that biden is in this place that's become this hallowed sanctum of democracy. we can envision or imagine previous moments, fdr standing behind the podium, and responding to the attacks of pearl harbor. or we can think again most recently about the address biden delivered last april, the first time that he spoke to a joint session of congress, and it was notable because a small number of members of the congress were invited to sit socially distanced and masked because of covid. how biden will deliver this address, in a global pandemic and in this place that's held so many shared memories or visuals

of water democracy is an stands for, we will have those images in our minds. i think biden's challenges to both reference those images this time and place and put it in historical perspective and also remind the audience that they have the potential, the possibility to change the course of history and how we respond to our present moment. >> in recent years, presidents have traveled and given another speech following the state of the union address to build on the momentum of the state of the union address. president biden is no exception, he's traveling to superior, wisconsin tomorrow to promote the one into trillions other infrastructure bill. that he signed late last year. those remarks he will be making are expected at about 3:15 p.m. eastern time. you can see that c-span will be live with them. it's about 8:21 eastern time right now out here.

in just a few minutes, we expect the house lights to come on. the senate will be gathering to begin their walk over to the house chamber. the president will be leaving the white house. we are going to cover all of that for you. is going to move a little quickly here in a few minutes. we will be covering all of that for you this evening before the 9:00 p.m. speech. let's go back to greta. >> we will also be covering the gop response. which will be given by the iowa governor, kim reynolds. the republican iowa governor. she started out as a county treasurer in rural iowa. she moved to state senator,lieutenant governor , no governor. -- now governor. according to politico, she could be a potential running mate for former president donald trump, if he runs again in 2024. here's a headline from politico.

they note in politico's reporting trump is keenly aware he had a problem with women voters, increasing the likelihood that he might be looked to strike a gender balance on his ticket. iowa governor kim reynolds and marcia blood on -- marsha blackburn have risen early because both are tough as nails and conservative as hell, one advisor to trump said. these iowa -- this iowa governor tonight will be giving this response. peter, we expected to be about five minutes after the state of the union address. >> it is from des moines. and earlier this year, governor reynolds delivered the iowa state of the state address. here's a little bit of what she had to say. >> two years ago, about the time

they were moving to iowa, i stand here before you at the beginning of a new decade. i talked about how far we have come in 10 years about how we have gone from a time when families lost their life savings, iowa ones lost their jobs, and our state government lost control of its budget. to a time of record low unemployment, a budget surplus, and record investments in k-12 education. but most importantly, i talked about a vision for our future. about the need to be bold. to show the world that iowa truly is the state of opportunity. the pandemic delayed some of our efforts. but it certainly didn't change your direction. in the last eight months alone, we have invested $300 million more in broadband. strengthens funding for mental health. by making it more sustainable.

made our community safer and supported our law enforcement. encouraged quality housing. extended and expanded our water quality efforts. repealed the inheritance tax on families. we gave parents more choices and their child in the -- in their child's education. we protected their life and expanded telehealth services to increase access to health care across every part of our state. [applause] when iowa was ranked number

one state last year, it was because we earned it. it was because we had faith in iowans, and iowans came through. rankings are nice but it's not what matters. what matters is how we come together in our own communities, from cities like des moines, to small towns like elkhorn, where we live, work, and worship. this is my fourth time speaking to you from this chamber on the condition of our state. and i'm proud to report for the fourth time in in every corner of our state is strong. [applause] >> that was kim reynolds, governor of iowa, giving the state of the state address in in she will be giving the gop response tonight five minutes after president biden finishes his first state of the union

address. that all begins at 9 p.m. eastern time. here's a live shot from the back of the white house. . the south side of the white house. you can see the president and first lady, jill biden, have not departed yet. when they do, we will bring that to you. they will be driving up pennsylvania avenue. 16 blocks to the capitol. as greta told us earlier, pennsylvania avenue is lined with american and ukrainian flags. and said the capital is usually a beehive of activity. reporters, etc. years -- here's what it looks like tonight. it is empty. one of the consequences of the covid pandemic. usually this is -- if you have watched previous states of the union, you have seen the hall full of reporters, full of members, full of television cameras, etc. it is still empty in this

covid year even though masks are no longer required in the capitol. and all members of the house and senate have been invited. we will also be showing you the senate shortly, the senate will be gathering in their chamber on one side of the capital, then going through the rotunda area to the house chamber. we will be showing a little bit of that as well as we go this evening. let's go back to greta first. >> there still are some covid precautions in place, billy has notes that when you are watching tonight's speech and you see the audience, how they will be seated tonight, it appears there is assigned seating in the chamber. every other seat will be empty and lawmakers will also be seated in the gallery. who decided where members sit, he asks? he has told caucus leaders it is

by leadership and seniority. he covers capitol hill. there's also this from scott one. lawmakers are required to get tested before attending tonight's state of the union address. that means at least three democrats all tested positive, with a breakthrough covid cases today. so they will not be in attendance. this is from the daily. an exclusive they have. several republican said they would not attend the state of the union address because they had to take those covid tests. senator marco rubio was one of them. along with representative mary miller -- virginia republican bob good. matt rosendale, georgia representative andrew clyde, all

not attending the state of the union. >> just about half an hour, the president will be delivering his first state of the union address from the house chamber. we are expecting the house lights to come on shortly. house members to start filing in. we will bring all that to you live. the senate will be gathering, as you can see right now, they are gambling and, let's listen -- gaveling in, let's listen in. >> -- to receive a message from the president of the united states.

>> as you can see, the senate is gathering to walk across the rotunda. approximately 500 steps to the house chamber. note -- no masks are on. it is always interesting to note who was walking with who. often in the past, a democrat and republican have walked into the house chamber together. we will see them go through statuary hall as well. we will pick up their movement, as they go through. nancy pelosi and kamala harris, the vice president, will be sitting behind president biden. two californians, two women, that begins at 9 p.m. at the white house, no action

yet for the president. it doesn't take long to get the motorcade the 16 blocks down to the capitol. here comes the president. >> president biden, has vladimir putin committed a war crime?

>> the president left on the south side of the white house 16 blocks up to the capitol down pennsylvania avenue. the majority of the drive, ukrainian flags winding down pennsylvania avenue. you will see him arrive at the capitol. the senate is starting their procession over to the house chamber. shortly as you can see, they are just leaving the senate chamber. it is less than 500 steps over to the other side of the capitol. i will enter and have assigned seating -- they will enter and have assigned seating, as greta told us. we will watch their procession.

and the house of representatives, we are waiting for the tb lights to come on, which is an indication that we can bring you live coverage of the house chamber prior to the 9:00 p.m. speech this evening. while we are waiting for the senate to come over -- that looks like security coming in. you will also often in the past again, the hall to see on the right which used to be the old house chamber, full, crowded, reporters, cameras -- a scramble going on in there, it is odd to see it empty like that, the supreme court justices go through there, as does the cabinet and the diplomatic corps. they come in and make their way to the house chamber.

of course, the president is the last one to enter, when the house sergeant of arms announces the president of the united states. that will happen right about 9 p.m.. we don't know exactly what the president is going to talk about. the american people are interested in inflation in ukraine as their top two issues. the white house press secretary previewed the speech yesterday. >> it will talk a lot about inflation, the federal reserve talks about inflation, hugely important. how people experience that is what it means for their pocketbooks. for their budgets, their bank accounts. how they are paying for things. that's why a lot of what you're going to hear about tomorrow is how he is going to reduce costs. parts of his agenda that he has talked about significantly over the course of the last several months, lowering costs for childcare, eldercare, prescription drugs, those are

not done yet. so he will reiterate his call for congress to move forward on those. i would also note he's going to make clear that one of the best ways to lower costs over the long run is to increase the productive capacity of our economy. to make more things in america with more american workers contributing and earning a good living. is going to describe the emerging manufacturing come back for the american companies betting on american again because of the commitment to domestic industrial revitalization, and technological developments. he will also explain we can also lower costs by promoting fair competition in the u.s. economy. there are new steps to lower consumer prices and level the playing field for american businesses and to protect seniors and nursing home residents. he's also going to talk about one of the strongest labor

market recovery in american history and make clear it is important to continue to take steps to eliminate barriers to good paying jobs for workers across america. i would expect you would hear a lot about how he's going to lower costs. how he's going to continue to build a strong economy over the long term. >> that was a little bit of the white house secretary -- white house press secretary previewing the speech today. the senate, marching through statutory hall, getting ready to go to the house chamber, there they are, getting ready for the doors to open. the house chamber lights have come on. speaker pelosi is in the chair. >> madams speaker -- madams -- >> madam speaker,vice

president of the united states senate . [applause]

[indistinct chatter]

>> the joint session will come to order. [indiscernible]

the joint session will come to order. fed chair a point -- the chair appoints the escorting of the president into the chambers. the gentleman from massachusetts -- the gentlewoman from massachusetts, ms. clark, the gentleman from new york, mr. jeffrey, the gentleman from new york, mr. sean patrick maloney, the woman from ohio, the gentlewoman from delaware, ms. rochester, the gentleman from california, mr. mccarthy, the gentleman from louisiana, mr. scalise, the gentlewoman from new york, the gentleman

from louisiana, mr. mike johnson, mr. palmer, mr. cole, though gentlewoman from indiana. >> the president of the senate, at the direction of that body, appoints the following senators as members of the committee on the part of the senate to escort the president of the united states into the house chamber. the senator from new york, mr. schumer, the senator from vermont, mr. leahy, the senator from illinois, mr. durbin, the senator from michigan, the senator from minnesota, ms. klobuchar, senator from wisconsin, ms. baldwin, the senator from kentucky, mr.

mcconnell, the senator from south dakota, the senator from wyoming, the senator from iowa, ms. earnst, the senator from missouri, mr. blunt, and the senator from iowa, mr. grassley. >> the members of the escort committee will exit the chamber through the lobby doors. >> now we wait. [indiscernible conversations]

>> madam speaker, the dean of the diplomatic board. [applause]

[indiscernible conversations]

>> madam speaker, the chief justice and

associate justices of the supreme court. [applause]

[indiscernible conversations] [applause]

>> madam speaker, the president's cabinet. [applause]

[applause]

[indistinguishable conversations]

[indistinguishable conversations]

[indistinguishable conversations]

[indistinguishable conversations]

[indistinguishable conversations] >> madame speaker, the president of the united states. [applause]