Congress calls on Pres. Biden will address the housing crisis, the conflict between Israel and Hamas and reproductive rights during his State of the Union address

Members of Congress expect President Joe Biden to focus on reproductive rights, the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the housing crisis during Thursday’s State of the Union address.

The death toll in Gaza has surpassed 30,000, mostly women and children, and for months members of Congress and activists have demanded that Biden-Harris put pressure on the Israeli government to finish military operations in the region.

As a result of the ongoing conflict, Palestinians are facing a hunger crisis, with many children dying of hunger. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights published an article during which: he stated Israel has “deliberately starved the Palestinian people in Gaza since October 8.”

On Thursday, U.S. Republican Maxine Waters from California held a press conference during which she demanded that President Biden also address the housing crisis during his State of the Union address.

“Housing costs are so extreme,” Waters said. “Families pay upwards of 30 to 50 percent of their salaries for housing.”

“A record 600,000 people are experiencing homelessness and millions more are on the verge of homelessness,” she added.

According to According to Forbes, Wall Street owns 1.2 million homes across the United States, driving up the cost of homes and rental properties and making it harder for Americans to purchase or rent homes.

In December 2023, Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate introduced a bill that will prohibit hedge funds from buying and owning single-family homes and excluding extraordinary Americans.

“People who don’t understand health care make decisions that have egregious consequences,” she said.

Brown wants “Americans to recognize the consequences of Republican leadership and realize that they do not put people before politics like Democrats.”

The Ohio lawmaker’s comments come as Black and brown women living in states which have passed anti-abortion laws feel disproportionately impacted.

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and gave states the authority to pass their very own anti-abortion laws. In 2023, Republican-led states like Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, and Texas passed some of the nation’s strictest anti-abortion laws, with a profound impact on women of color and other marginalized groups.

“What will inspire us? How will we continue to build? How are we going to continue to respect and invest in the people who sustain our democracy?” – she asked.

President Biden is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union address on Thursday at 9 p.m. EST at the U.S. Capitol.

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