| 1963 State of the Union Address | |
| Time: | 12:30 p.m. EST[1] |
| Duration: | 43 minutes[2] |
| Venue: | House Chamber, United States Capitol |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates: | 38.8897°N -77.0089°W |
| Type: | State of the Union Address |
| Participants: | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson John W. McCormack |
| Blank1 Label: | Previous |
| Blank1 Data: | 1962 State of the Union Address |
| Blank2 Label: | Next |
| Blank2 Data: | 1964 State of the Union Address |
The 1963 State of the Union Address was given by John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on Monday, January 14, 1963, to the 88th United States Congress in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives.[3] It was Kennedy's third and final State of the Union Address. Presiding over this joint session was House speaker John W. McCormack, accompanied by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his capacity as the president of the Senate.
Kennedy's speech addressed various economic concerns, such as taxation policy. Kennedy called for a major revision of the federal taxation system, saying that "To achieve these greater gains, one step, above all, is essential—the enactment this year of a substantial reduction and revision in Federal income taxes." Kennedy's speech also spent a significant time addressing foreign policy with regard to the Soviet Union and other Cold War-era concerns. He said that the United States must be prepared with a strong national defense, including nuclear weapons: