Biden delivers State of the Union as Russia-Ukraine war deepens: LIVE UPDATES

The challenge posed by China received little attention in President Biden's first State of the Union.

While Biden spent significant amounts of time addressing the threats posed by Russia, COVID-19 and inflation, China was mentioned only in passing during the address.

He mentioned Chinese President Xi Jinping while touting an "infrastructure decade."

"It is going to transform America and put us on a path to win the economic competition of the 21st Century that we face with the rest of the world—particularly with China," he said. "As I’ve told Xi Jinping, it is never a good bet to bet against the American people." 

Rep. Lauren Boebert, who yelled at President Biden during the State of the Union, explains in a tweet what happened.

"When Biden said flag draped coffins I couldn't stay silent. I told him directly he did it. He put 13 in there," she says, referring to the 13 service members who died in a terrorist attack during the withdrawal from Afghanistan last year.

"Our heroic servicemen and women deserve so much better," she tweeted.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has released a statement hailing what he called a "bold, strong and comprehensive vision that will resonate with the vast majority of Americans."

"The president focused on lowering costs, creating new jobs, and a brighter sunnier America, which is just what our country wants and needs," he said.  

"I was very glad to see a large part of President Biden’s State of the Union address focus on fighting inflation and the rising cost of living. Democrats will work with him to bring these down for the American people as soon as possible.   

“Now as we turn the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic, Democrats are laser focused on lowering costs for Americans, from the grocery store to the gas pump to the pharmacy. By addressing the root causes of higher costs – supply chain disruptions and price gouging by greedy companies – the president’s plan is the right prescription to drive down costs and restore America’s sunny optimism. 

“The president also stressed the importance of fighting COVID and asked Republicans and Democrats to join him in appropriately funding testing, treatments, therapeutics, and vaccines to contain and corral any new variant that might come. We hope Republicans will join us to accomplish this.   

“Yet as America is steadily getting back to normal we face the new, more dangerous threat of authoritarianism abroad. It was appropriate for Democrats and Republicans to recognize the outstanding job President Biden has done in Ukraine with many standing ovations. And now we must roll up our sleeves and work to contain an aggressive Russia and a vicious Putin. We should now come together on a bipartisan bill to aid Ukraine in their fight. 

“In short, tonight President Biden showed America why they elected him. And Congressional Democrats will work to enact his broad, bold vision for our country’s future.”

The Republican National Committee is out with a statement criticizing the Biden State of the Union, saying the speech "showed he fails to grasp the hurt his policies have caused American families."

"He did not take responsibility for his failures, offered no real solutions to the many crises Americans are facing, and instead doubled down on his disastrous and polarizing agenda. Americans are struggling and Biden once again ignored them," RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said in the statement. "Republicans will hold Biden and Democrats accountable in November.”

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says, in the GOP response to the State of the Union, that Republican governors are filling what she sees as a leadership void coming from the Biden administration.

"Republicans may not have the White House. But we’re doing what we can to fill the leadership vacuum," she says. "On the issues that are affecting Americans, Republicans are leading."

"We are standing up for parents and kids; we’re standing up for life. We’re keeping our communities safe and thanking those in uniform. We’re fighting to restore America’s energy independence, including biofuels. We’re getting people back to work, not paying them to stay home. Most of all, we’re respecting your freedom," she says.

She tells viewers that they "shouldn't have to wake up every morning and worry about the next thing the government is going to do to you, your business, or your children."

Giving the Republican response to the State of the Union, Gov. Kim Reynolds says that Americans "are tired of a political class trying to remake this country into a place where an elite few tell everyone else what they can and cannot say. What they can and cannot believe."

She says Americans are tired of the "theater" surrounding COVID mandates, specifically on masks.

"You’ve heard the excuses. They were just holding their breath. But it’s the American people who are waiting to exhale. Waiting for the insanity to stop," she says.

She says there is an "alternative" to the last 12 months and contrasts how red states handled schools compared to blue states.

"What happened—and is still happening—to our children over the last two years is unconscionable. Learning loss. Isolation. Anxiety. Depression. In so many states, our kids have been left behind and many will never catch up," she says.

"That’s why Iowa was the first state in the nation to require that schools open their doors. I was attacked by the left; I was attacked by the media. But it wasn’t a hard choice. It was the right choice. And keeping schools open is only the start of the pro-parent, pro-family revolution that Republicans are leading in Iowa and states across this country," she says.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union, She says "it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time—to the late 70s and early 80s -- when runaway inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing on our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map."

"Even before taking the oath of office, the President told us that he wanted to 'make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home,'" she says.

"He’s failed on both fronts."

She says that Biden has not projected strength abroad, but adds "we cannot project strength abroad if we’re weak at home."

Reynolds says the the Biden administration has spent the last making issues facing Americans worse. Zeroing in on inflation, she says that it is not a "high class problem" but an "everybody problem."

The verdict is in: masks are out. 

President Biden’s first State of the Union of his presidency saw the overwhelming majority of Congress eschew their masks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed their guidance on the subject this week. 

Democrats across the country have been overwhelmingly behind mask mandates for the past year, though many reversed course once public opinion on face coverings soured.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the week of Biden’s congressional address, announced the lifting of the House’s mask mandate — something the Senate never implemented on the other side of the Capitol.

Click for more from Fox News' Houston Keene

Per Fox News' Chad Pergram: The President spoke for 1 hours and 2 minutes. He was interrupted 91 times by applause.

That does not include the two occasions when members applauded when he entered the House chamber and then was introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Biden concludes by saying that "the State of the Union is strong -- because you, the American people, are strong." 

"We are stronger today than we were a year ago," he says. "And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today." 

This is our moment to meet and overcome the challenges of our time. And we will, as one people," he says.

Biden calls for a "unity agenda" for the U.S., saying there are things Republicans and Democrats can agree on.

The first is to beat the opioid epidemic: "Increase funding for prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery. Get rid of outdated rules that stop doctors from prescribing treatments. And stop the flow of illicit drugs by working with state and local law enforcement to go after traffickers."

The second is targeting mental health, particularly for children "whose lives and education have been turned upside down." That includes strengthening privacy protections and banning targeting advertising to children.

The third is supporting America's veterans. Here, he mentions the burn pits, which are believed to have given many veterans cancer and other illnesses. He notes his own son, Beau, died of cancer after coming home from Iraq.

"We don’t know for sure if a burn pit was the cause of his brain cancer, or the diseases of so many of our troops. But I’m committed to finding out everything we can," he says.

He introduces the widow of Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, who was stationed near burn pits and later died of cancer. He says he is expanding eligibility to veterans suffering from nine cancers, and calls on Congress to make sure those exposed get the "benefits and comprehensive health care they deserve."

Finally, he calls for an end to cancer "as we know it." He says the goal is to cut the cancer death rate by 50% over the next 25 years. He calls on Congress to fund ARPA-H, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. 

Biden turns to the thorny question of illegal immigration and border security, saying "we need to secure the border and fix the immigration system."

There are chants of "build the wall" from Republicans, something Biden halted.

He touts technology scanners that have been installed to better detect drugs and patrols with Mexico and Guatemala -- and more commitments from countries in South and Central America to take in more migrants and secure borders.

But then he says there should be amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants.

"Provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers," he says.

Biden praises two NYPD officers who were killed in duty responding to a 9-11 call.

"I spoke with their families and told them that we are forever in debt for their sacrifice, and we will carry on their mission to restore the trust and safety every community deserves," he says.

He touts investment in the American Rescue Plan in community policing and "proven strategies" like community violence interruption.

He then rebuffs left-wing calls to "Defund the Police."

"The answer is not to defund the police, it's to FUND the police," he says. "Fund them."

He then calls for gun control measures, including an assault weapons ban and ending liability shields for gun manufacturers.

"These laws don’t infringe on the Second Amendment. They save lives,' he says.

Biden says he recognizes that Americans are "tired, frustrated and exhausted" of COVID-19.

He says that because of the "progress we’ve made, because of your resilience and the tools we have, tonight I can say we are moving forward safely, back to more normal routines."

"We’ve reached a new moment in the fight against COVID-19, with severe cases down to a level not seen since July of last year," and goes on to note the new mask guidelines from the CDC.

He promises that more anti-viral pills are coming, and a new testing initiative to make sure people get tested at a pharmacy and receive pills on the spot if they're positive. He also announces more testing being made available.

He also indicates that more masking may be necessary down the road.

"And, if Congress provides the funds we need, we’ll have new stockpiles of tests, masks, and pills ready if needed," he says.

"I cannot promise a new variant won’t come. But I can promise you we’ll do everything within our power to be ready if it does."  

Biden says that the tax system is "not fair" and "we have to fix it."

"I’m not looking to punish anyone. But let’s make sure corporations and the wealthiest Americans start paying their fair share," he says.

He notes he has proposed a 15% minimum tax rate for corporation. He also says that more than 130 countries have agreed on a global minimum tax rate so companies can’t dodge taxes by shipping jobs abroad.

He goes on to take another shot at the Trump administration, saying it "ballooned the deficit" with tax cuts, and says it also undermined watchdogs to stop pandemic funds from being misused.

Biden also calls for a $15 minimum wage and for an extension of the Child Tax Credit.

Biden pivots to inflation, and says "I get it."

"With all the bright spots in our economy, record job growth and higher wages, too many families are struggling to keep up with the bills," he says. "Inflation is robbing them of the gains they might otherwise feel." 

"I get it. That’s why my top priority is getting prices under control," he says.

 He says the answer is a "made in America" focus to lower costs, rather than wages.

"Make more cars and semiconductors in America," he says. "More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America."

Biden calls it "building a better America" and says it will lower costs and lower the deficit.

As Biden touts the effects of the American Rescue Plan, he takes a shot at the tax cuts passed under the Trump administration.

"Unlike the $2 Trillion tax cut passed in the previous administration that benefitted the top 1% of Americans, the American Rescue Plan helped working people—and left no one behind. 

While Democrats stood up and applauded, there were loud boos from Republicans in the chamber, who were not happy at the shot taken at the prior administration.

Biden yelled over the boos and applause, saying "it worked, it worked."

He says more jobs were created in one year than ever before in the history of America.

He goes on to tout the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and claims "we're about to have an infrastructure decade." He calls on Congress to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act to make "record investments" in tech and manufacturing.

"Send it to my desk. I’ll sign it," he tells lawmakers. "And we will really take off." 

Biden begins his State of the Union address with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and says that Putin "badly miscalculated."

"Six days ago, Russia’s Vladimir Putin sought to shake the foundations of the free world thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. But he badly miscalculated." 

He thought he could roll into Ukraine and the world would roll over. Instead he met a wall of strength he never anticipated or imagined. He met the Ukrainian people."

Biden introduces the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., who gets a large round of applause from those gathered in the chamber.

"Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression they cause more chaos," he says.

Biden goes on to claim that "Putin is now isolated from the world more than ever." 

He touts "powerful economic sanctions," cutting off banks and "choking" off access to tech firms.

"We are coming for your ill-begotten gains," he says to the oligarchs, before announcing a U.S. airspace ban. 

"And tonight I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American air space to all Russian flights – further isolating Russia – and adding an additional squeeze – on their economy."

He says the U.S. is providing military and economic assistance to Ukraine, but says U.S. forces will not engage with Russian forces.

President Biden has entered the House chamber as he prepares to make his State of the Union address.

He has been introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and is flanked by both Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris.