Live: President Biden’s State of the Union Address

President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address a joint Session of Congress is scheduled for tonight at 9:00 p.m.

During the State of the Union, the audience will include 17 relatives of Americans held captive or murdered by Hamas terrorists on Simchas Torah in Eretz Yisroel. The family members will be guests of a bipartisan slate of members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.

“We have spent a lot of time with these families – the families of the American hostages as well as those families of all the Israeli hostages – to bring their loved ones home, and we will not rest until they are home,” said Monsey Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17). “These families, during a moment of immense grief, have taken the time to come and meet with members of Congress on what is almost a daily basis because that’s how important it is and that’s how much they care, not just about their own loved ones, but all of the loved ones who are being held, hostage. All of us have shown over the past many months our strong support for the State of Israel, and we will continue to be unwavering in our support for Israel and their right to defend themselves, unwavering in our opposition to Hamas, and unwavering in our demands that the hostages be brought home safely.”

When President Biden gives his State of the Union, there will be more than a dozen family members of Hamas-held hostages in attendance. It is crucial we remain steadfast, remember it was Hamas who started this war, and not forget the names of the hostages and their loved ones. pic.twitter.com/LVO89scJj4

— Congressman Mike Lawler (@RepMikeLawler) March 7, 2024

The president is expected to talk about the war in Gaza and Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.

A senior administration official said in a briefing ahead of the State of the Union, “The President obviously will address, I think in a very personal way, the situation in the Middle East, which he’s been dealing with really almost 24/7 here since October 7th. He’ll talk about the horrific attacks of October 7th and Israel’s right to go after Hamas and those responsible, but also Israel’s added burden, just given that Hamas hides and operates amongst the civilian population.”

At tonight’s State of the Union address, I am honored to have as my guests the parents of American hostages in Gaza: the Alexander family from Tenafly, NJ, and Jonathan Dekel-Chen from Connecticut.

We must bring their sons home now.https://t.co/HP8auc0s5J

— Rep Josh Gottheimer (@RepJoshG) March 7, 2024

Senator Katie Britt of Alabama will present the GOP rebuttal of the State of the Union. She is slated to say in her speech, “For years, the left has coddled criminals and defunded the police – all while letting repeat offenders walk free. The result is tragic but foreseeable—from our small towns to America’s most iconic city streets, life is getting more and more dangerous.”

Live: President Biden’s State of the Union address:

 Live: Senator Katie Britt’s rebuttal: