| 1948 State of the Union Address | |
| Time: | 1:30 p.m. EST |
| Venue: | House Chamber, United States Capitol |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates: | 38.8897°N -77.0089°W |
| Type: | State of the Union Address |
| Participants: | Harry S. Truman Arthur Vandenberg Joseph W. Martin Jr. |
| Blank1 Label: | Previous |
| Blank1 Data: | 1947 State of the Union Address |
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The 1948 State of the Union Address was given by Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, on Wednesday, January 7, 1948, to the 80th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives.[1] It was Truman's third State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker Joseph W. Martin Jr., accompanied by President pro tempore Arthur Vandenberg, in his capacity as the acting president of the Senate since the office of Vice President was vacant due to Truman's ascendance to the presidency before the ratification of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Even though Truman's previous 1947 State of the Union Address had been televised, this address was only broadcast nationwide over the radio.[2]
Truman opened his speech by reflecting on what he considered to be the true strengths of the United States:
During his speech, Truman laid out a number of domestic policy proposals. He called for Alaska and Hawaii to be admitted to the union. He also called for increased civil rights measures:
Truman spent time advocating that Social Security benefits be extended and increased. He also pushed for national health insurance, rent control, the creation of a new executive department to administer health and education programs, conserving natural resources, and reforestation. Truman also focused on economic issues to help working families by introducing a cost of living tax credit, increasing the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents per hour, and helping farmers by continuing price supports for major farm commodities and extending rural electrification. Truman also noted that Congress in 1947 had overridden his veto and passed the Taft-Hartley act but that his opinion on the legislation had not changed. Truman also spent time discussing means to achieve a peaceful world through support of the United Nations and other foreign aid programs.
Truman concluded his speech by reminding the nation of its "high purposes" and calling for remembrance of "the fundamentals" as the world looked to the United States for leadership: