Biden pivots on COVID, immigration, Build Back Better in State of the Union
President Joe Biden hit the reset button on some key points of his presidency during his first State of the Union.
With his plan to expand the social safety net stalled in Congress, Biden recast some policies he still hopes to win support for in his address. The White House also found itself stymied in its first year by a resurgent pandemic and rising inflation.
But on Tuesday, Biden struck a hopeful tone about the prospects for America and the policies he wants to use to press it forward.
Here are some of the areas where Biden started to pivot from earlier in his presidency.
More: State of the Union: 5 takeaways, from Russia and Ukraine to a new phase of COVID
Biden bumps 'Build Back Better'
A centerpiece of Biden’s presidential campaign and his first year in the White House was conspicuously absent from his State of the Union.
Biden did not use the “Build Back Better” slogan that was a rallying cry on the campaign trail in 2020 and the moniker attached to his legislative plan to expand the social safety net.
After that plan was put on the shelf because it could not win the support of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Biden’s slogan apparently has joined it. Biden seemed to replace it in his State of the Union with “building a better America,” even as he continued to pitch some of the same policies that were part of his larger agenda.
As Biden pitched his philosophy on combatting inflation, he said he wanted to lower costs and grow the economy by manufacturing more goods domestically, expanding infrastructure and creating more jobs.
“Economists call it ‘increasing the productive capacity of our economy,’” Biden said. “I call it building a better America.”Biden hasn’t totally given up on the agenda, even if he’s retiring the shorthand used to describe it. He pitched policies to cut the cost of child care, universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and extending an expansion of the Child Tax Credit. And he reiterated a promise that “nobody earning less than $400,000 a year” will pay new taxes.
Analysis: A world of change: Biden seeks his footing as his agenda and the landscape are transformed
Biden proclaims 'new moment' in pandemic
The president declared the U.S. had reached a "new moment" in the COVID-19 pandemic, "with severe cases down to a level not seen since last July."
The U.S. reported a seven-day average of daily new cases of 62,556 on Sunday, which is a drop to a level not seen since before the delta surge at the end of July, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The last time the country reported a similar case count was July 26, when the seven-day average was 60,452 daily new infections.
The president said "we will never accept living with COVID-19," vowing to continue fighting the virus, but said the U.S. is "moving forward safely" back to normal routines.
Related: To mask or not to mask? That is the question after CDC eases mask guidelines for fatigued nation
The comments were a marked contrast from his Fourth of July speech last summer, in which he declared the country was close to "independence" from the virus. But his speech signaled a shift that the administration is embracing a new – but cautious – phase.
He pointed to new CDC guidance that eases mask restrictions for about 70% of Americans as evidence of a return to normalcy. The CDC changed the restriction criteria to include metrics for the number of new hospital admissions and the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, along with the number of infections. Many areas that were considered to have high or substantial transmission levels are now classified as having lower to medium levels.
Biden outlined new efforts his administration is rolling out as the country looks to return to public life, including a "Test to Treat" initiative that will provide free antiviral pills for people who test positive at pharmacies.
He also said Americans who ordered COVID-19 tests from the federal website will be able to order another batch of tests starting next week. Biden also previewed new efforts to prepare for potential variants, including requesting more funding from Congress to replenish the national stockpile of tests, masks and pills.
More: Biden says Americans can order more COVID tests from the government starting next week
Biden calls for secure border, passage of immigration legislation
Biden called for securing the border – a flip from last year, when he focused on fixing the root of the problems of why people are migrating to the United States – and fixing the immigration system during his speech.
Biden noted his administration has installed new technology at the U.S.-Mexico border, including scanners to better detect drug smuggling. The Department of Homeland Security last month said it is installing high-tech scanners on the border to inspect more cars coming into the U.S. as part of an effort to combat drug smuggling.
In addition, Biden said the U.S. has set up joint patrols with Mexico and Guatemala to catch more human traffickers. Vice President Kamala Harris during her visit to Guatemala last June announced a joint task force to address smuggling and human trafficking.
“We can do all this while keeping lit the torch of liberty that has led generations of immigrants to this land – my forefathers and so many of yours,” Biden said.
Biden called on Congress to pass a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, individuals with temporary protective status, farmworkers and essential workers. Congress has failed to pass immigration legislation despite the House passing two bills, Farm Workforce Modernization Act and American Dream and Promise Act, last year. Lawmakers also failed to secure immigration in the failed Build Back Better Act.
“Revise our laws so businesses have the workers they need and families don’t wait decades to reunite,” Biden said. “Let’s get it done once and for all.”