Biden 'looks forward' to delivering State of the Union in February

US President accepts invitation to address Congress from new Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

The House of Representatives chamber at the Capitol in Washington. AP

US President Joe Biden on Friday accepted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's invitation to give a State of the Union address to the Congress next month, the White House confirmed.

“The President is grateful for and accepts Speaker McCarthy’s prompt invitation to address the peoples’ representatives in Congress,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

“He looks forward to speaking with Republicans, Democrats and the country about how we can work together to continue building an economy that works from the bottom up and the middle out, keep boosting our competitiveness in the world, keep the American people safe and bring the country together.”

This will be the first time during his presidency that Mr Biden will address a Congress that is not entirely under Democratic control.

Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate while the Republicans hold an equally slim majority in the House.

Mr McCarthy was elected speaker after 15 votes, a stretch of failed attempts not seen since before the Civil War.

Bipartisanship is likely to be on the minds of many, as the President works with an obstructionist lower chamber whose Republican members are looking to increase pressure on his administration.

Mr McCarthy called it his “solemn obligation” to invite Mr Biden.

“The American people sent us to Washington to deliver a new direction for the country, to find common ground and to debate their priorities,” the new House Speaker said in his invitation.

“Your remarks will inform our efforts to address the priorities of the American people,” he wrote to Mr Biden.

The State of the Union is set to take place during a joint session of Congress on February 7, 2023.

Democrat Nancy Pelosi served as the 52nd speaker of the US House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023 and has represented California's 11th congressional district since 1987. Getty / AFP

Mr Jeffries speaks with Ms Pelosi during the eighth vote in the chamber as the House meets for the third day to elect a speaker. AP

Katherine Marlea Clark is a Democrat serving Massachusetts's 5th congressional district since 2013. She has been House minority whip since 2023 and was assistant House Democratic leader from 2021 to 2023. AP

Democrat Hakeem Jeffries was recently elected House minority leader and leader of the House Democratic Caucus. Mr Jeffries has represented New York's 8th congressional district since 2013. Bloomberg

Republican Scott Perry is chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, the furthest-right ideological group and the home of almost all Kevin McCarthy opponents. AP

Republican Byron Donalds of Florida emerged from relative obscurity this week when he received about 20 votes in several rounds of voting in the speaker election. Getty / AFP

Republican Chip Roy of Texas is widely known in Congress for obstructionist procedural motions and dissatisfaction with the current legislative rules. EPA

Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert is a strong supporter of gun rights and once owned a restaurant in which staff were encouraged to openly carry firearms. Getty / AFP

Republican Andy Biggs of Arizona was among the most outspoken supporters of former president Donald Trump's claims of election fraud in 2020. Getty / AFP

Republican Matt Gaetz falsely claimed that the January 6 attack on the US Capitol was instigated by far-left extremists and was once part of a sex-trafficking investigation in Florida. Getty / AFP

Republican Bob Good of Virginia was a prominent opponent of measures designed to stop the spread of Covid-19. AP

Democrat Ruben Gallego of Arizona lashed out at Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz in a series of profane tweets in response to the massacre at a Texas elementary school. AP

Republican Debbie Lesko was charged in Conroe, Texas, with a misdemeanour for tampering with government records. The case was dropped in 1994. Getty / AFP

Democrat Steven Horsford of Nevada was caught illegally parking his SUV with his personalised licence plate "State Senator 17" in a disabled parking space at a park for several hours. AP

Republican Paul Gosar was a strong ally of former president Donald Trump and voted to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election. Getty / AFP

Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez represents New York's 14th district. Taking office at age 29, Ms Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever to serve in the US Congress. EPA

A former California firefighter, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy was a steady defender of former president Donald Trump for most of his time as majority leader and minority leader. Reuters

Democrat Adam Schiff of California is a member of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol and serves a large portion of the entertainment community in Los Angeles. AFP

Democrat Maxine Waters is in her 15th House term. She is the most senior of the 12 black women serving and led the Congressional Black Caucus from 1997 to 1999. Getty

Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has promoted anti-Semitic, white supremacist and far-right conspiracy theories, including white genocide, QAnon and Pizzagate. Getty / AFP