By - Tim Rosado
As expected, President Biden's State of the Union Address (SOTU) address before a joint session of the 118th Congress included a long list restated past policy positions, some new ideas, and policy requests of the new Congress.
The Administration had significant policy success following last year's SOTU, but success will be hard to come by this year with a Republican-led House of Representatives.
That said, compromise in some of these areas can perhaps still be found. What follows below is a summary rundown of the policy elements of this year's SOTU.
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Infrastructure
All Infrastructure Act-funded project construction materials must be made in America.
Health Care
Extend the $35 per month cap on the cost of insulin to all Americans.
If Congress does anything to raise the cost of prescription drugs on Americans I will veto it.
Expand healthcare coverage through Medicaid.
Pass my plan to get seniors and people with disabilities the home care services they need.
Taxation
Pass my proposal for a billionaire minimum tax.
Quadruple the tax on corporate stock buybacks.
Restore the full Child Tax Credit.
Debt Limit & Deficit Reduction
Commit to raise the debt limit without preconditions.
Social Security and Medicare is off the table for budget cuts.
Consumers & Competition
Pass bipartisan legislation to strengthen antitrust enforcement against online companies.
Pass the Administration's proposed Junk Fee Prevention Act.
Labor
Stop non-compete agreements.
Pass the PRO Act so workers have the right to join unions.
Make sure working parents can afford to raise a family with sick days, paid family and medical leave, and affordable child care.
Education
Providing access to pre-school for 3- and 4-year-olds.
Connect students to career opportunities starting in high school and provide two years of community college.
Provide improved access to mental health services in schools.
Fraud
Triple our anti-fraud strike forces, double the statute of limitations on these crimes, and crack down on identity fraud by criminal syndicates.
Law Enforcement Reform
Give law enforcement the training they need, hold them to higher standards, and help them succeed in keeping everyone safe.
Get more first responders and other professionals to address growing mental health and substance abuse challenges.
Provide more resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime; more community intervention programs; more investments in housing, education, and job training.
When police officers or departments violate the public’s trust, we must hold them accountable.
Guns
Ban assault weapons once and for all.
Immigration
If you won’t pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border.
Provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, as well as those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.
Abortion Rights
Codify Roe v. Wade to protect every woman’s constitutional right to choose.
If Congress passes a national abortion ban, I will veto it.
Transgender Rights
Pass the bipartisan Equality Act.
Ukraine
America is united in our support for Ukraine; we will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes.
China
Committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world, but if China’s threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country.
Drugs
Let’s launch a major surge to stop fentanyl production, sale, and trafficking, with more drug detection machines to inspect cargo and stop pills and powder at the border.
Online Privacy
Pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on kids and teenagers online, ban targeted advertising to children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect.
Veterans
Provide job training and job placement for veterans and their spouses as they return to civilian life.
Help veterans afford their rent to prevent homelessness.
Cancer Moonshot
Let’s end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all.
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