U.S. President Joe Biden underscored the passage of a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a strong economic recovery in his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, as he battles dismal approval ratings. 

Standing in the chamber of the House of Representatives, Biden thanked both Democrats and Republicans for their support in passing the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package last year, calling it the "single biggest investment in history." 

"America used to have the best roads, bridges, and airports on earth. Our infrastructure is ranked 13th in the world," he said. "I thank my Republican friends who joined to invest in rebuilding America." 

"We're done talking about infrastructure weeks. We're now talking about an infrastructure decade."  

Biden said his administration will start repairing more than 65,000 miles of highways and 1,500 bridges this year. 

He hailed the strongest growth of the U.S. economy in almost 40 years and the creation of 6.5 million jobs in 2021. 

The U.S. economy grew 5.7 percent last year, but that was achieved after the previous year that saw a GDP decrease of 3.4 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden was looking to reset his presidency after a first year in office marked by rapid economic growth and trillions of dollars in new programs, but beset by the highest inflation in 40 years and a lingering pandemic. 

Public opinion polls have shown Biden out of favor with the majority of Americans for months, with fewer than half of Americans approving of the job he is doing. 

While 41 percent of Americans approve of Biden's performance, 56 percent disapprove, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. Just 33 percent of Americans said the United States is going in the right direction, while 67 percent said the country is on the wrong track.  

A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Tuesday showed 43 percent of Americans approve of Biden's response to the Ukraine crisis, whereas 47 percent disapprove. 

Biden and his fellow Democrats face the prospect of losing control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the November 8 midterm elections. 

Biden said he wants to fight inflation by lowering costs to make goods, not lowering wages for Americans. 

"One way to fight inflation is to drive down wages and make Americans poorer. I think I have a better idea to fight inflation. Lower costs, not your wages," he said, adding that lowering costs will lead to more American manufacturing. 

"Folks, that means make more cars and semiconductors in America. More infrastructure and innovation in America. More goods moving faster and cheaper in America. More jobs where you can earn a good living in America. Instead of relying on foreign supply chains. Let's make it in America."  

Biden also vowed to combat COVID-19 and prepare for new variants and underscored the importance of vaccines and treatments. 

He announced a ban on Russian flights from American airspace over Russia's ongoing military operation in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Biden reiterated that U.S. forces "will not engage in the conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine." 

Kim Reynolds, Iowa's governor who gave the Republican response, said she worried that the U.S. "is on the wrong track" after listening to Biden's speech. 

"We're now one year into his presidency, and instead of moving America forward, it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time to the late '70s and early '80s when runaway inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map," Reynolds said. 

"Enough is enough," she said. "Americans are tired of a political class trying to remake this country into a place where an elite few tell everyone else what they can and cannot say." 

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: U.S. President Joe Biden (C) delivers the State of the Union address as Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (R) look on during a joint session of Congress in the U.S. Capitol House Chamber in Washington, DC., March 1, 2022. /CFP)