WATCH: Biden says Congress must restore federal abortion rights | 2023 State of the Union

In his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, President Joe Biden called on Congress to restore federal abortion rights that were dismantled after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and to enact protections for LGBTQ rights.

“Let’s also pass the Bipartisan Equality Act to ensure LGBTQ Americans — especially transgender young people — can live with safety and dignity,” Biden said.

The president vowed to veto any legislation from Congress that would ban abortion nationally, noting that more than a dozen states have passed strict abortion bans since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Biden’s Feb. 7 address comes a year after Russia invaded Ukraine and amid new diplomatic tensions between the U.S. and China over a suspected surveillance balloon. This is Biden’s second State of the Union address, as his first was a joint address to Congress in April 2021.

Last year, Biden used his address to emphasize themes of bipartisanship and unity. But he now faces a split Congress, with the GOP-led House launching efforts to investigate his family and his administration.

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