OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Joe Biden is set to deliver his first State of the Union address but there might be a twist.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly told colleagues this week that each party will only be allowed to invite just 25 House members to attend Biden’s address in person.
“The president is slated to deliver his first State of the Union address on March 1; attendance for his address to a Joint Session of Congress last April also was capped,” Axios reported.
“A Pelosi spokesman said no final decisions have been made. The spokesman said the Speaker’s Office ‘will work closely with the Office of the Attending Physician to accommodate as many Member requests as safely possible.’ Biden’s Joint Address last year was attended by 55 House Democrats and 25 House Republicans, along with 35 Senate Democrats and 25 Senate Republicans, according to a Capitol official,” the report continued.
This is an anonymously sourced report relaying what McCarthy was told, but Pelosi’s office did not actually deny it, but rather said they would speak with the attending physician to discuss protocols.
Scoop: McCarthy told members of Republican leadership at an ELC meeting today that Pelosi told him she was instituting a 25-member attendance cap for Biden's State of the Union address, two sources in the room told @axios
w/ @HansNichols @SophiaCai99 https://t.co/2LqCctZSvw
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) February 1, 2022
This comes on the heels of a new survey finding that half of those surveyed by Rasmussen think Biden should be impeached from office.
And what’s more, almost as many surveyed think that’s what Republicans will do if the party wins back control of the House in the 2022 midterms.
“A new national telephone and an online survey by Rasmussen Reports and The National Pulse finds that 50% of Likely U.S. voters support the impeachment of Biden, including 33% who Strongly Support it. Forty-five percent (45%) are opposed to impeaching Biden, including 33% who Strongly Oppose it,” Rasmussen reported.
If Biden were to get impeached, he would face trial in what could be a GOP-controlled Senate after the midterms.
The survey comes amid a dramatic shift in approval ratings for both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over their first year in office.
In early December, for instance, an I&I/TIPP poll found that barely one-third of Democrat respondents want Biden to run for reelection.
The survey asked respondents, “Who do you want to see run for president on the Democratic ticket in 2024?”
The report added:
Overall, 22 percent said Biden, followed by 12 percent who said Vice President Kamala Harris, four percent who said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and three percent who said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA), and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. The remaining potential candidates garnered two percent support or less. Thirty-one percent, overall, say they are unsure.
Even among Democrats, specifically, Biden fails to see overwhelming support, as only 37 percent say they want to see him run again on the Democrat ticket in the next presidential election cycle. Another 16 percent of Democrats chose Harris, and 13 percent, overall, remain unsure.
37 percent of independents say they are “not sure” who they want to see run on the Democrat ticket, but only eight percent say it should be Biden.
“But only 8% of independents and other non-major party voters also want Biden back as Democratic standard-bearer,” TIPP noted.
“And 10% want Harris, not Biden. For Biden, that suggests near non-existent support among independents, the swing voters who make up a third or more of all those who go to the polls each election,” the survey added.
“Even Democrats seem less than enthused about Biden holding the top spot. Just 37% want him there,” the poll revealed.
“And only 16% give Harris the nod as presidential standard-bearer, alarming given that Vice President Harris is next in line to be president should Biden not complete his term in office,” the survey continued.
