Congressional Republicans booed President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address after he criticised the Trump administration providing tax breaks for the wealthy.
Mr Biden was speaking about his Covid-19 relief package known as the American Rescue Plan while criticising the tax cut that Republican majorities in Congress and President Donald Trump passed in 2017.
“And unlike the $2 Trillion tax cut passed in the previous administration that benefitted the top one per cent of Americans, the American Rescue Plan” he said before being cut off but continued. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was seen in video footage about to get up from his chair to start an applause to drown out the boos from Republicans.
“The American Rescue Plan helped working people—and left no one behind,” he said.
Many Republicans have blamed the American Rescue Plan for increasing inflation, which polling shows has become the most salient issue for voters heading into the 2022 midterm election.
Mr Biden spoke at length about inflation during his address, also going after corporate profits raising prices for consumers.
“I’m a capitalist, but capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism,” he said. “When corporations don’t have to compete, their profits go up, your prices go up, and small businesses and family farmers and ranchers go under.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for his part was not too complimentary of Mr Biden despite knowing the president because of their years together in the Senate.
“President Biden ignored that his agenda has completely flopped for American families: Raging inflation, open borders, crime,” he said. “The President did his best to try to pick himself up and provide some level of optimism but that’s not what the American people are feeling right now.”
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