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.
Latest headlines:
- 'The state of the union is strong, because of you': Biden concludes speech with optimistic outlook
- Biden takes on calls to 'defund the police'
- Biden urges Congress to pass Bipartisan Innovation Act
- Biden touts American Rescue Plan
- 'He has no idea what's coming,' Biden says of Putin
- Show of support for Ukraine on display
Moving forward safely in the pandemic
On the pandemic, Biden outlined four "common-sense" steps the U.S. is taking to "move forward safely":
1. Vaccines and treatments: "We will never give up on vaccinating more Americans," Biden said. He also discussed progress on anti-viral treatments and announced a “test to treat” initiative for COVID-positive Americans to obtain Pfizer pills free of charge.
He also announced that starting next week Americans would be able to order even more free rapid tests at .
2. Preparing for new variants: Biden said instead of months or years, we'll be able to deploy new vaccines "within 100 days."
3. Ending shutdowns: Biden stressed the importance of people working in offices safely and keeping schools open. "The vast majority of federal workers will once again work in person. Our schools are open. Let’s keep it that way," he said.
4. Vaccinating the world: Biden said the U.S. has so far sent 475 million vaccine doses worldwide, "and we won't stop."
Manchin sits with Republicans during speech
Sen. Joe Manchin, ., sat with Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Republicans during the State of the Union.
“Senator Manchin sat with his colleague Senator Romney to remind the American people and the world that bipartisanship works and is alive and well in the U.S. Senate,” Samantha Runyon, a spokeswoman for Manchin, told ABC News in a statement.
Manchin, who opposed many of President Biden's proposals including the original version of his Build Back Better plan, was seen applauding during several moments when the president outlined his agenda.
-ABC News' Mary Bruce and Trish Turner
Biden takes on calls to 'defund the police'
Speaking in defense of police and law enforcement across the country and receiving a standing ovation from both Republicans and Democrats, Biden made clear that "The answer is not to defund the police, it's to fund the police."
Biden urges Congress to pass Bipartisan Innovation Act
Highlighting his other key legislation passed last year, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Biden reached across the aisle and thanked GOP members for helping get that bill done.
"We're done talking about infrastructure weeks. We're now talking about an infrastructure decade," he said. "It’s going to transform America to put us on a path to win the economic competition of the 21st century that we face with the rest of the world-- particularly China."
To help the U.S. stay competitive against China, Biden said he needs Congress to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act "that will make record investments in emerging technologies and American manufacturing."
Biden said if this bill gets passed, Intel's CEO is ready to spend $100 billion in investments in domestic manufacturing.
"And all they’re waiting for is for you to pass this bill. So let's not wait any longer," he said. "Send it to my desk. I'll sign it. And we will really take off in a big way."
-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez
Some House members to wear blue and yellow in support of Ukraine
Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, on Capitol Hill this morning for interviews with local TV stations, told reporters that many members will wear blue and yellow colors tonight in support of Ukraine.
During President Donald Trump's address in 2020, dozens of female members of Congress wore "suffragist white" -- intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granting American women the right to vote.
-ABC News' Mariam Khan