President Joe Biden honored slain NYPD officers Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night.

Mora and Rivera were fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence call in Harlem in January. Less than two weeks after their deaths, the president traveled to New York City to discuss his administration’s efforts to combat crime and gun violence.

“Both Dominican Americans who’d grown up on the same streets they later chose to patrol as police officers,” Biden said Tuesday, referring to Mora and Rivera. “I spoke with their families and told them that we are forever in debt for their sacrifice, and we will carry on their mission to restore the trust and safety every community deserves.”

Biden went on to say the deaths of Mora and Rivera speak to the need to invest in crime prevention, while restoring trust between communities and their police departments, as well as strengthening gun laws.

“We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police. The answer is to find the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities,” Biden said. “I ask Democrats and Republicans alike: Pass my budget and keep our neighborhoods safe.”

Shortly after the president finished speaking, Mayor Eric Adams released a statement, commending Biden for honoring the memories of Mora and Rivera. 

"While everything the president spoke about is worthy to note, I am deeply grateful that President Biden directly mentioned two heroes who sacrificed their lives for the people of New York City — Detectives Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora,” the statement reads. “These two men died in the line of duty, and we must honor them by being clear that we will not abandon our streets, just as the president said.