House Speaker Mike Johnson made it official Saturday, inviting President Biden to present the State of the Union address on March 7.
Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, extended the formal invitation for the president to deliver his speech to a joint session of Congress. The speaker noted in his letter that the event would come at a moment “of great challenge for our country.”
The address will be the first that Mr. Johnson will witness as speaker of the House and will come two days after Super Tuesday, when over a dozen states will hold presidential primaries.
The president’s address will likely be used as a vehicle to bolster his campaign priorities for the 2024 election as he sets his sights on the GOP front-runner, former President Donald Trump.
Mr. Biden’s address will come following a pair of critical deadlines to fund the government on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2.
Mr. Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, have been negotiating a new overall, or top-line, spending number for the dozen spending bills that fund the government.
Despite already having an agreed-on number from last year’s debt ceiling deal, House Republicans have pressed for cuts in spending. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Schumer have made some progress without landing an agreement with less than two weeks to hit the first deadline.
Mr. Biden’s address will be the second in front of a divided Congress. Last year he faced jeers and interruptions from House Republicans.
The upcoming address will be one of the latest in State of the Union history. Mr. Biden spoke in February last year and on March 1 in 2022.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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