WASHINGTON, D.C. - In just a couple of hours, the President will give his State of the Union address. We expect him to talk about issues important to Americans, like the economy, security and coming together as a nation. 

This is the last State of the Union for Biden’s first term. Experts said this will be Biden’s moment to be the so-called “Explainer in Chief”. They said he needs to talk about major pieces of legislation he got passed in the first two years, like passing that bipartisan infrastructure bill, which impacts communities across the country, including northwest Pennsylvania. 

We caught up with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D- NY) ahead of the speech. She expects the President to touch on issues like healthcare, childcare and bringing jobs to our communities. All issues important to our area. Senior administration officials confirmed with us that Biden also plans to discuss the situation in Gaza and his plans to open a port there to deliver aid. Here’s what our New York Senators said ahead of the address:  

“President Biden will make clear that after so much adversity, America's economy is growing, inflation is slowing and Democrat's agenda is delivering,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D- NY).  

“Overall, I believe despite the many challenges we’ve faced over the year the state of our nation is strong,” said Sen. Gillibrand. “I know that we made extraordinary progress in our fight to build back after the pandemic. This speech comes at a pivotal moment for our nation and our world but i know that it will be a powerful one.” 

This is not supposed to be a campaign speech but rather an update to congress and the American people on Biden’s plans for our country. Going into tonight, there is a lot of energy at the Capitol. People are eager to hear from the President but something experts are looking out for is Biden's delivery. His age and competency are major factors.  

Experts said this is not necessarily a make or break speech but that it could potentially be a break speech because a lot of people are going to be watching to see if President Biden has any slip ups. The age issue is a big one and a lot of people will be watching for that gotcha moment. We will speak with congressional members after the address and will share their reaction.