WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama urged Congress to take on his ambitious second-term agenda of job growth, immigration reform and gun control in a sweeping State of the Union address on Tuesday. “It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built...
Video by Gideon Resnick and Catherine Reid WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s fourth State of the Union address elicited strong opinions on both sides of the aisle. In laying out his agenda for his second term, Obama said he wanted improvements in the...
Some congressmen made their way to the the House Chamber to attend the State of the Union through their underground train. (Audrey Cheng/Medill)
Ambar Pinto Gomez, an undocumented student from Northern Virginia Community College, attended the State of the Union as the guest of Sen. Mark Warner, R-Va. She said she is listening for immigration reform to come up in Obama’s speech. “Hopefully [I’ll] hear that we have some [legislation passed] by the summer of this year,” she said. (Stephanie Yang/Medill)
State of the Union guests Dan and Matthew Gross make their way to the House Chamber Tuesday for President Barack Obama’s speech. (Stephanie Yang/Medill)
“We look forward to the president talking about gun violence and what we can do to prevent it, said Dan Gross, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “He’s been amazingly committed to this issue so far in his second term, and we expect him to expand on that tonight in a very focused and meaningful way.” (Stephanie Yang/Medill)
One man on his way to the State of the Union said he hopes the president’s address will bring unity to the parties. “Well they say he is going to pivot back to the economy and jobs, but he pivots every year to the economy and jobs,” he said. “I hope that he says something that will resonate to both sides so we can come together and get something done.” (Ashley Balcerzak/Medill)
Lauren Sils, assistant to Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del. said,
“I hope that Obama really sets the tone for the agenda in the next four years. I hope he is enthusiastic with his goals of immigration reform and gun control.” (MNS)
WASHINGTON—In an unusual effort to crowd the State of the Union address with single-issue advocates, more than 30 members of Congress gave their House chamber tickets to Americans affected by gun violence. “[This effort] is about the families, about protecting our...
WASHINGTON– Sen. Marco Rubio called for smaller government and less spending in the Republican Party’s response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. An unwavering and serious Rubio spoke directly into a camera about his...
WASHINGTON — Republican Chuck Hagel’s embattled nomination to serve as the next secretary of Defense cleared its first hurdle on Tuesday, moving out of committee on the way to a full Senate vote. The Senate Armed Services Committee argued for roughly two hours...
WASHINGTON — The presidential race is over, but Toora Arsala doesn’t have a case of the post-election blues. After all, it’s never too soon to start thinking about the next election. “I’m definitely interested in running for the House of Delegates [Virginia’s...
WASHINGTON – Federal government workers rallied Tuesday on Capitol Hill to protest impending budget cuts and the threat to jobs that could occur as soon as the end of the month. If Congress and President Barack Obama do not agree on a budget by March 1, the federal...
WASHINGTON — The “Speech” has been written, rewritten and rehearsed to exhaustion in preparation of President Obama’s fifth State of the Union address Tuesday night. What does it take? White House speechwriters from past administrations weighed in on the process...
WASHINGTON — The contentious battle over gun control continued Tuesday in the Senate, offering little hope for consensus as the discussion quickly broke down along party lines. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., called the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to examine...
WASHINGTON— House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s plan to rebrand the Republican Party neglected a priority for the Obama administration and also many Americans — climate change. After a dip in 2009, public acceptance of climate change as a reality is growing. According...
