Biden to deliver address March 7

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will deliver his annual State of the Union address on March 7 after he was invited by House Speaker Mike Johnson.

In a letter sent to the White House on Saturday, Johnson, R-La., extended the formal invitation for Biden to speak to a joint session of Congress. Johnson said he was inviting Biden “in this moment of great challenge for our country.” On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Biden accepted. “Looking forward to it, Mr. Speaker,” the president said.

This will be the first State of the Union for Johnson as speaker, who traditionally sits behind and to the left of the president during the address to Congress. This year’s speech will offer an opportunity for Biden to detail his broader vision and policy priorities as he campaigns for reelection in November.

Notably, Biden’s address is scheduled for after a pair of critical deadlines to avert a government shutdown.

Funding for federal agencies that oversee programs for veterans, and on transportation, housing, agriculture and energy, is set to expire Jan. 19. Funding for the rest of the federal government, including the Pentagon, State Department and Homeland Security, will run out Feb. 2.

The annual address from the president to Congress is usually scheduled for late January or February.

Biden’s March 7 address would be the latest that a president has delivered the State of the Union since 1934, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt revived the practice of giving the annual speech in person. Before this year, the latest that a State of the Union had been given was in 2022, when Biden delivered it on March 1 of that year, according to the Congressional Research Service.