State of the Union Guests Highlight Biden’s Efforts on Gun Violence, the Climate and More

The White House guest list for President Biden’s State of the Union address will underscore some of his administration’s biggest accomplishments, from student debt forgiveness to the expansion of NATO.

But even as he heralds his accomplishments, the guest list will highlight intractable challenges still facing his presidency, including pervasive gun violence and the vast problem of climate change.

Among the 20 guests who will join the first lady, Jill Biden, to watch the address is Jazmin Cazares, the sister of a 9-year-old victim of the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers.

After Uvalde, Mr. Biden signed the first gun safety legislation in decades — a measure he plugged during his State of the Union address last year, when he also called on Congress to enact a ban on assault weapons. In September, he announced the creation of the Office of Gun Violence and Safety Prevention, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, at the White House.

But just since the start of 2024, there have been 10 mass shootings in the United States, according to an analysis by The New York Times, which tracks shootings that killed four or more people, not including the attacker, and occurred in a public place without a connection to another crime. Violence involving children, which has surged since 2011, remains a key concern: Since the start of 2024, there have been 10 school shootings causing injuries or deaths, according to an analysis by Education Week, which tracks gun violence in schools.

Ms. Cazares, 18, who was honored by Ms. Biden during an event at the White House in the fall, has become an activist for gun violence prevention, and spent her senior year of high school