White House: State Of The Union Will Focus On Economy
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WASHINGTON -
President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address tonight, and he will likely use it to lay down new markers with Congress.
Obama is expected to lay out an aggressive agenda for the next year.
One thing to watch is the reaction from Republican House Speaker John Boehner. This speech may lay out the battle lines between them. The warm handshake is one thing. The specifics of the president's agenda may be something else.
The White House says tonight's speech will be heavy on the economy.
Obama's inaugural address laid out an ambitious agenda to expand the role and reach of the federal government. Aides say tonight the president will be combative, pushing for higher taxes and more spending for infrastructure and education, especially with a looming battle over the so-called sequester spending cuts due to hit in less than a month.
Immigration reform may also play a prominent role as will gun control, with First Lady Michelle Obama sitting with the family members of a Chicago shooting victim.
And word came this morning that Obama is expected to announce that 34,000 U.S. troops will be home from Afghanistan a year from today.
Conservatives say the president sees his chance to route the GOP.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will deliver the Republican response.
As far as the president is concerned, there is a certain urgency to this. A second-term president doesn't have long to push his agenda before he's seen as a lame duck, FOX's Doug Luzader reported from Washington.
You can see the president's speech live right here on FOX 29 starting at 9 p.m. We will also stream the address live on MyFOXPhilly.com.
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