AP/Mandel Ngan, Pool
President Barack Obama.
Obama's remarks led CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer to proclaim he hadn't seen anything like the speech.
"I don't remember a State of the Union address where I heard a president issue so many veto threats," Blitzer said.
A video clip of Blitzer's comments was subsequently promoted by the Republican National Committee.
Obama peppered his speech with promises to block legislation advanced by the Republicans who just took full control of Congress in last November's elections. He notably singled out GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare and deregulate Wall Street.
"We can't put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance, or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street, or refighting past battles on immigration when we've got a system to fix. And if a bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, it will earn my veto" Obama said, according to his prepared remarks.
Obama's most direct veto threat, however, came later in the speech when he addressed negotiations with Iran aiming to curtail its nuclear ambitions. Congressional Republicans and even some Democrats are pushing for more sanctions against the country, but the White House insists such legislation would undermine the talks.
"I keep all options on the table to prevent a nuclear Iran. But new sanctions passed by this Congress, at this moment in time, will all but guarantee that diplomacy fails," Obama argued. "It doesn't make sense. That is why I will veto any new sanctions bill that threatens to undo this progress."
The Republicans are also expected to block many of the proposals put forth by Obama in his speech.
Watch Blitzer's reaction below, via the RNC: