Watch Live: President Biden delivers State of the Union address

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a State of the Union address calling for unity as the deeply divided country heads into another presidential election cycle. The president plans to call on Republicans to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation, despite a narrowly divided Congress and deteriorating relations with China. The annual speech Tuesday night is the second of Biden’s term, and the first under a Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

The president is offering a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition rather than rolling out flashy policy proposals . Watch the State of the Union address here: Next up in 5 Example video title will go here for this video It comes as the nation struggles to make sense of confounding cross-currents at home and abroad — economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine, growing tensions with China and more — and warily sizes up Biden’s fitness for a likely reelection bid. The speech is also being made after House leader Kevin McCarthy challenged Biden to negotiate with him about slashing spending as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling.

Biden has previously said there should be no negotiations and the debt limit should be raised without caveat. “The story of America is a story of progress and resilience,” Biden is declaring, according to excerpts released by the White House. He’s highlighting record job creation under his tenure as the country has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.

And he’s declaring that two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, the country’s democracy is “unbowed and unbroken. ” Despite Biden’s pleas for unity, his words may be falling on deaf ears.

For months before the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans promised to spend much of their time investigating the Biden administration if elected to office. It’s a promise they are seeking to fulfill, with congressional panels opening up investigations into Biden’s handling of classified documents and his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings, among other avenues Republicans would like to attack the president on. House leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday vowed to be “respectful” during the address and in turn asked Biden to refrain from using the phrase “extreme MAGA Republicans,” which the president deployed on the campaign trail in 2022.

“I won’t tear up the speech, I won’t play games,” McCarthy told reporters, a reference to Pelosi’s dramatic action after President Donald Trump’s final State of the Union address. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who gained a national profile as Trump’s press secretary, is set to deliver the Republican response to Biden’s speech in a rebuttal directly following Biden’s remarks.

The White House and legislators from both parties invited guests designed to drive home political messages with their presence in the House chamber. The parents of Tyre Nichols , who was severely beaten by police officers in Memphis and later died, are among those expected to be seated with first lady Jill Biden. Other Biden guests include the rock star/humanitarian Bono and the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month’s Monterey Park, California, shooting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. .