State of the Union: Biden rebukes Putin, praises brave Ukrainians, offers 'unity agenda'
"We are stronger today than we were a year ago," the president said.
President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address as Russian strikes were killing civilians, forces were massing near Ukraine's capital Kyiv and Russian President Vladimir Putin showed no sign of backing down.
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- Show of support for Ukraine on display
Biden to announce new 'test-to-treat' program for COVID-19 pills
The president will announce a new "test-to-treat program" for COVID-19 during his State of the Union address tonight, his chief of staff said during an interview on CNN.
"Because we're getting millions of these new Pfizer pills, we'll be able to test people in drugstores, and if they test positive, immediately give them medicine that prevents hospitalization, free of charge," Ron Klain said.
"And so we're taking the next steps to make sure that COVID does not control our lives, that we can get this country closer to being back to normal," he added.
Klain did not give any more details on how the program would work, such as if people would need a prescription.
The Biden administration has purchased 20 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 oral therapy, Paxlovid, although the pill is not expected to be widely available until later this spring. The current plan calls for gradually ramping up to 10 million doses by the end of June and another 10 million by the end of September.
-ABC News' Ben Gittleson and Anne Flaherty
Biden seen in Ukrainian colors ahead of address
Hours before delivering his first State of the Union address, Biden was photographed sporting a blue and yellow tie, the colors of Ukraine.
Biden was wearing the tie while on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "to discuss our continued support for Ukraine" amid Russian aggression, he said in a Twitter post.
It is unclear what the president will ultimately wear during his address, though several members of Congress have announced plans to wear blue and yellow ribbons in support of Ukraine.
House Republicans: 'The State of the Union is in crisis'
Ahead Biden's first State of the Union address, House Republicans claimed the "state of our union is in a crisis," which they say is directly caused by Biden and House Democrats' "failed far-left socialist agenda."
"Tonight, President Biden will try to rewrite history of the past year and pass the buck instead of taking responsibility for the failures of his radical far-left Democrat agenda," the third-ranking House Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik said at a press briefing Tuesday.
Republicans are holding Biden personally responsible for several issues, from inflation to high gas prices to supply chain issues to the invasion of Ukraine.
"The war on Ukraine represents one of the greatest foreign policy failures in modern history," Stefanik said. "For months, President Biden failed to engage in meaningful deterrence against Russian aggression."
Ukrainian-American Rep. Victoria Spartz gave an emotional plea calling for the Biden administration to do more to help Ukraine.
"This is not a war, this is a genocide of the Ukrainian people," Spartz, who represents Indiana, told reporters. "They want to be free people. They want to be with the West."
-ABC News' Mariam Khan
Biden on his plan to fight inflation
Biden will discuss his plan to fight inflation, which he says will aim to lower both costs and the deficit, according to an excerpt of his State of the Union address released by the White House.
"We have a choice. One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make Americans poorer. I have a better plan to fight inflation," he said in the prepared remarks.
"Lower your costs, not your wages. Make more cars and semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America. More jobs where you can earn a good living in America. And, instead of relying on foreign supply chains -- let’s make it in America," the speech continues.
"Economists call it 'increasing the productive capacity of our economy,'" the president said in the prepared remarks. "I call it building a better America."
'He has no idea what's coming,' Biden says of Putin
Biden addressed the severe sanctions the U.S. and its allies have imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, saying they have made Russian President Vladimir Putin's "$630 billion war fund worthless."
"Tonight I say to the Russian oligarchs and the corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime, no more," Biden said.
The president further announced that the U.S. will be closing off its airspace to all Russian flights, "further isolating Russia and adding an additional squeeze on their economy."
"He has no idea what's coming," Biden said of Putin.