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What Biden will say about tech at the State of the Union

The President will touch on supply chain issues, profess support for unions through the PRO Act and promote skills-based hiring.

President Joe Biden speaking at a podium, flanked by U.S. flags

President Joe Biden will discuss unions, supply chains and skills-based hiring.

Photo: Alex Edelman/CNP/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing pandemic, President Joe Biden has a lot of ground to cover during his State of the Union address Tuesday. But the White House said Biden also plans to address several key issues facing the tech industry, from supply chain shortages to the need for a new approach to hiring.

Here's what to listen for on Tuesday:

Intel victory lap

With supply chain issues emphasizing the need for more American manufacturing of critical goods, including semiconductors, Biden intends to tout Intel's plan to build a $20 billion factory in Ohio. The president also plans to focus on other efforts to support more home-grown manufacturing, including the Department of Energy's plans to provide $3 billion in funding to manufacture electric vehicles and batteries in the U.S.

Support for the PRO Act

President Biden plans to affirm his support for the PRO Act, a bill that would, among other things, help gig workers unionize by redefining the meaning of "employee." Unsurprisingly, the bill has been roundly criticized by the tech industry, whose leaders argue the legislation would "hurt American competitiveness."

Bring on USICA

The big U.S. science and technology package has already passed both the House and the Senate in the form of the America Competes Act and the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, respectively. Biden is still waiting for Congress to harmonize the two and send it to his desk. On Tuesday, he'll call on Congress to do that.

Skills-based hiring initiative

In the midst of a persistent labor shortage, Biden will announce his administration's intention to hire not based on resumes, but based on skills. That includes using federal procurement money to hire people from apprenticeships and training programs.

Issie Lapowsky

Issie Lapowsky ( @issielapowsky) is Protocol's chief correspondent, covering the intersection of technology, politics, and national affairs. She also oversees Protocol's fellowship program. Previously, she was a senior writer at Wired, where she covered the 2016 election and the Facebook beat in its aftermath. Prior to that, Issie worked as a staff writer for Inc. magazine, writing about small business and entrepreneurship. She has also worked as an on-air contributor for CBS News and taught a graduate-level course at New York University's Center for Publishing on how tech giants have affected publishing.

white housestate of the unionsupply chainintelhiringbiden
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