US President Joe Biden, in his annual State of the Union address, asked Republicans to help “finish the job” for hardworking families.
The Democrat emphasized the importance of bipartisanship to a divided Congress, where the lower house now has a Republican majority.
He also vowed to defend American sovereignty in the wake of an alleged Chinese spy balloon intrusion.
The speech was widely seen as a roadmap for the much-anticipated 2024 re-election bid.
Mr. Biden’s 73-minute address came as his public approval rating neared the lowest level of his presidency.
The opposition party responds to the President’s State of the Union every year. On Tuesday night, the Republican was rebuffed by Arkansas’ governor, who accused Mr. Biden’s administration of engaging more in “waking fantasies” than “the harsh reality Americans face every day.”
Mr Biden addressed a packed chamber and high-profile guests – including U2’s Bono – as well as Supreme Court justices.
Sitting at the president’s shoulder on the House rostrum was one of his most vocal critics, Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Mr. Biden extended an olive branch to the opposition party, which took over the lower house of Congress last month with a pledge to investigate the president’s family and cabinet.
“To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there’s no reason why we can’t work together in this new Congress,” said the president, who was previously divided by his opponents. He was accused of inflammatory rhetoric.
“We were sent here to finish the job!” he added.
Mr Biden also said that America’s democracy was “bent and broken”, two years after his predecessor Donald Trump’s supporters rioted in the US Capitol.
As is sometimes the case in State of the Union speeches, the president was at points that drew boos from opposition lawmakers.
Mr. Biden, in a 7,200-word speech, made minimal reference to the foreign policy blunder that has gripped the nation in recent days: a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was shot down by the U.S. military over South Carolina last weekend. Passed over the American mainland before hitting the coast.
The president said he was committed to working constructively with China, but warned: “Make no mistake: As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will defend our country. will work for. And we did.”
Republicans are demanding to know why Mr. Biden waited a week to act. The President’s administration has said that it wants to protect citizens from the danger of falling debris.
Mr. Biden’s speech was generally light on foreign policy with Ukraine — a central theme of his 2022 State of the Union address in the wake of Russia’s invasion — earning a mention at the end of this year’s remarks. Mr Biden reiterated that the US would stand by Kyiv “as long as it takes”.
