Jan. 13 (UPI) — Newly elected Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy formally invited President Joe Biden to deliver the State of the Union address on Friday.
“It is my solemn obligation to invite the president to appear before a joint session of Congress on Feb. 7 so that he may fulfill his duty under the Constitution to report on the state of the union,” McCathy tweeted Friday alongside an image of his formal letter to Biden.
The White House quickly responded.
“We have received Speaker McCarthy’s kind invitation and the president has accepted it and looks forward to delivering the State of then Union address,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.
This year’s State of the Union will be the first time Vice President Kamala Harris stands alongside a Republican Speaker of the House behind Biden during the yearly address.
The previous speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, caused a stir when she tore up a copy of former President Donald Trump‘s 2020 State of the Union speech after he finished addressing the joint session of Congress.
This year’s State of the Union address comes as Biden faces increased scrutiny over the discovery of classified documents at a private office and his garage.
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday the appointment of Robert Hur as special counsel to investigate the handling of the documents.