On Memorial Day, May 29, United States President Joe Biden honors the sacrifice of the nation's dead soldiers by conducting a solemn wreath-laying rite at Arlington National Cemetery.
President Biden honored the courageous servicemen and women in a moving speech, per CBS News. He recognized their sacrifices for the welfare and independence of America.
For Biden, Memorial Day is particularly emotional since it coincides with the death anniversary of his son Beau Biden, a member of the Delaware Air National Guard, who died in 2015 due to brain cancer.
President Joe Biden emphasized the "sacred obligation" to assist and care for veterans, military personnel, their families, and survivors as part of the nation's responsibility to commemorate its servicepeople. He spoke about the dedication to helping individuals exposed to burn pits and the approved bipartisan legislation to help veterans.
The chief executive also stressed that US soldiers' efforts and sacrifices should be remembered forever, acknowledging the permanency of their loss.
President Joe Biden observed the 155th National Memorial Day Observance with First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her husband, Douglas Emhoff. The president laid a wreath decked with flowers and a red, white, and blue bow during the Memorial Day ceremony, which also featured a reflective moment where the POTUS prayed for US soldiers, according to ABC News.
In his address, he stressed the importance of remembering the "price paid to protect our democracy."
Join me as I honor our fallen heroes at the 155th National Memorial Day Observance. https://t.co/rKush3ip8d
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 29, 2023
US Defense Spending to Increase
In other news, President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently reached a definitive accord on a plan to increase the United States debt limit, pending ratification by Congress.
The accord would maintain a non-defense expenditure constant in 2024 and raise it by 1% next year. Defense spending would rise 3% to $886 billion in fiscal 2024 and 1% to $895 billion in fiscal 2025 under the agreement, CNBC reported.
President Joe Biden is proud of the work made by his administration to end the US military's prolonged involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. Biden kept his campaign pledge to end the lengthy fight in Afghanistan by officially declaring the end of the war about 21 months ago.
However, the chaotic and difficult evacuation process led many to have reservations about the Biden administration's management of the pullout of US troops from Afghanistan.
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