总统乔·拜登将在周四晚上发表他的第三次国情咨文。
但今年，国会和国家的传统年度更新可能有额外的意义——在总统选举期间进行选举.
以下是你需要了解的演讲内容和观看方式。内森·霍华德/彭博
什么时候?
拜登将于周四晚上9点在国会大厦的国会联席会议上发表讲话。
国情咨文是总统的职责宪法规定该法案要求总统“不时向国会提供国情咨文”
迈克·约翰逊议长正式邀请总统在国会发表演讲拜登今年1月接受.
约翰逊的邀请函中写道:“在这个我们国家面临巨大挑战的时刻，我有庄严的责任邀请你们于2024年3月7日(星期四)在国会联席会议上发表讲话，以便你们履行美国宪法规定的义务，报告我们的国情。”
我怎么看?
美国广播公司新闻将直播国情咨文，美国广播公司新闻直播将直播报道，美国广播公司新闻数字将在晚上7点开始直播博客。
你也可以在白宫网站以及在其油管(国外视频网站),X和脸谱网页数。
利害攸关的是什么?
国情咨文可能有点像政治戏剧，但今年可能会更有意义，因为拜登的目标是在选举年树立信心并与选民建立联系。
总统经常利用国情咨文来公布新的政策提案。2022年，拜登利用这次演讲宣布了他的“国家统一议程”其中包括扩大退伍军人的医疗福利。
本周早些时候，白宫新闻秘书卡琳·让·皮埃尔向记者简要介绍了预期情况，称“这将是一个重要时刻”
让-皮埃尔明确表示，在他的国情咨文中，拜登将传达他的政府已经并将继续为美国人争取更低成本的信息。
让-皮埃尔周二表示:“我们政府禁止隐性垃圾费的行动每年将为美国人节省200多亿美元。”“总统将在国情咨文中明确表示，他将继续努力降低家庭成本。”
虽然没有详细说明，但白宫承认周四对美国选民的讲话正值关键时刻。
让-皮埃尔说:“他知道美国人民直接听到他的声音有多重要。
拜登将把他的国情咨文从国会山直接带到竞选活动中，本周末前往宾夕法尼亚州和佐治亚州，目前他的日程上有两场竞选演讲。
谁会在那里?
国情咨文标志着所有政府部门都在同一屋檐下的罕见时刻之一。总统、国会议员和最高法院大法官出席。
总统讲话时，众议院议长和副总统坐在总统后面。这将是约翰逊议长在演讲期间第一次坐在总统身后。
受邀嘉宾也出席活动。
白宫和国会议员通常会邀请具有特定背景和故事的客人，这些背景和故事对他们个人和政治都很重要——他们想要感谢、纪念甚至强调某个特定问题的人。
议员们希望今年能关注两个特别的问题:女性获得生殖保健的权利，以及以色列和加沙持续不断的冲突。
今年我们被告知客人包括逃离家乡接受堕胎护理的妇女;为一名10岁儿童提供堕胎护理的医生;第一个通过体外受精出生的美国人;《华尔街日报》记者埃文·格什科维奇的父母;被关押在加沙的人质的家属;一名巴勒斯坦医生和研究生在当前的加沙/以色列冲突中失去了35名家人;辐射受害者的代言人;医疗保健倡导者和说唱歌手肥仔乔，不一而足。
约翰逊还邀请了两位金星父母在2021年美国从阿富汗混乱撤军期间，谁在喀布尔机场爆炸中失去了孩子。
谁在为共和党说话?
自1966年以来，反对党一直通过电视回应总统的国情咨文演讲。今年，阿拉巴马州参议员凯蒂·布里特(Katie Britt)将代表共和党发言。
约翰逊说，42岁的布里特是最年轻的女参议员，她将与美国历史上年龄最大的在任总统拜登形成鲜明对比。
“她是强大家庭、安全边境、国防和充满活力的经济的捍卫者，为所有人提供稳定的价格和机会。约翰逊在一份声明中说:“当有史以来最年轻的共和党女参议员为历史上最年长的总统翻开新的一页时，美国人民将会收看。”
布里特来自阿拉巴马州，该州正处于试管婴儿争夺战的中心。在阿拉巴马州最高法院决定将冷冻胚胎称为“儿童”并对试管婴儿服务提出质疑后，布里特呼吁保护“继续获得试管婴儿服务”。
众议员莫妮卡·德拉克鲁兹将在国情咨文结束后发表西班牙语共和党演讲。
How to watch Biden's State of the Union address
PresidentJoe Bidenwill deliver his State on the Union address -- his third -- on Thursday night.
But this year, the traditional annual update to Congress and the nation could have additional significance -- coming in the middle of a presidentialelection.
Here's what you need to know about the speech and how to watch.Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images
When is it?
Biden will address a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on Thursday at 9 p.m.
The State of the Union is a presidential dutymandated in the Constitution, which calls for the president "from time to time to give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union."
Speaker Mike Johnson extended the formal invitation for the president to address Congress, whichBiden accepted in January.
"In this moment of great challenge for our country, it is my solemn duty to extend this invitation for you to address a Joint Session of Congress on Thursday, March 7, 2024, so that you may fulfill your obligation under the U.S. Constitution to report on the state of our union," Johnson's invitation said.
How can I watch?
ABC News will air the State of the Union live, ABC News Live will stream coverage and ABC News Digital will have a live blog starting at 7 p.m.
You can also watch the speech live on theWhite House websiteas well as on itsYouTube,XandFacebookpages.
What's at stake?
The State of the Union address can be a bit of political theater, but this year it could be more consequential as Biden aims to project confidence and connect with voters in an election year.
Presidents often use the State of the Union speech to unveil new policy proposals. In 2022, Biden used the speech to announce his"unity agenda for the nation,"which included expanded health care benefits for veterans.
Earlier this week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave reporters a brief preview of what to expect, saying "it's going to be an important moment."
Jean-Pierre made it clear that during his State of the Union, Biden will drive home the message that his administration has and will continue to fight for lower costs for Americans.
"Our administration's action to ban hidden junk fees will save Americans more than $20 billion a year," Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. "The president will make clear in his State of the Union that he will continue fighting to lower costs for families."
While not going into detail, the White House acknowledged that Thursday's address to American voters comes at a critical moment.
"He knows how important it is for the American people to hear directly from him," Jean-Pierre said.
Biden will be taking his State of the Union message straight from Capitol Hill to the campaign trail, traveling to Pennsylvania and Georgia this weekend with two campaign remarks currently on his schedule.
Who will be there?
The State of the Union marks one of the rare times all branches of government are under the same roof. The president, members of Congress and Supreme Court justices attend.
The speaker of the House and vice president sit behind the president while he speaks. This will be the first time Speaker Johnson has sat behind the president during the address.
Invited guests also attend the event.
The White House and members of Congress typically invite guests with specific backgrounds and stories that are important to them both personally and politically -- people they want to thank, to honor or even to highlight a particular issue.
Lawmakers will be hoping to draw attention to two particular issues this year: women's rights to reproductive health care, and the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza.
This year we're told guests include women who have fled their home states to receive abortion care; a doctor who provided abortion care for a 10-year old; the first American person born via in vitro fertilization; Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's parents; families of the hostages being held in Gaza; a Palestinian doctor and grad student who lost 35 family members in the current Gaza/Israel conflict; an advocate for radiation victims; health care advocate and rapper Fat Joe, to name a few.
Johnson has also invitedtwo Gold Star parentswho lost children in the Kabul airport bombing during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Who is speaking for the Republican Party?
Since 1966, the opposition party has a televised response to the president's State of the Union speech. This year, freshman Alabama Sen. Katie Britt will deliver the Republican response.
Britt, the youngest female senator at 42 years old, will be a sharp contrast to Biden, the oldest sitting president in American history, Johnson said.
"She is a champion for strong families, a secure border, national defense and a vibrant economy with stable prices and opportunities for all. The American people will tune in as the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the Senate turns the page on the oldest President in history," Johnson said in a statement.
Britt is from Alabama -- the state at the center of a battle over IVF. In the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court decision calling frozen embryos "children" and calling IVF access into question, Sen. Britt called for protecting "continued access to IVF services."
Rep. Monica De La Cruz will deliver the Spanish language Republican address following the State of the Union.
