Trump’s first-rate performance gives him a chance to reset his legislative agenda.
President Donald Trump reached for soaring optimism in his first joint address to Congress Tuesday, promising to bring back millions of jobs, partly through a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal, while floating a vague pitch for bipartisan immigration reform.
In what was a largely conventional and subdued but serious speech, Trump stayed on script to seek bipartisan support for an ambitious domestic legislative agenda that has stalled in the second month of his presidency. But he also drew on a Reaganesque tone of unity and strength to tout "a renewal of the American spirit," even as the nation he spoke to remained anxious about his approach and intentions.
Still, it was a first-rate performance for Trump – his best so far as president – giving himself an opportunity to reset his teetering agenda, which still faces considerable hurdles on both sides of the aisle in Congress.
"The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us. We just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts," Trump said.
After eight years under the polarizing, yet largely steady, reign of President Barack Obama, a continuously divided and yet more uneasy nation tuned in to see if its rebellious and unorthodox new president could inspire confidence in his vision after a shaky start. He appeared to accomplish that by promising to stay true to his campaign pledges but eliminating the bluster he so often employs in his rhetoric and trading it for an olive branch.
Trump touched on a wide range of issues and granted varying levels of specificity depending on the topic. The newest ground broke on immigration, where he championed the possibility of "real and positive immigration reform." While he did not explicitly float a pathway to citizenship for workers in the country illegally, he did advocate switching to a merit-based immigration system, which he claimed would "save countless dollars, raise workers' wages and help struggling families – including immigrant families – enter the middle class."
"If we are guided by the well-being of American citizens, then I believe Republicans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades," Trump said, in a comment that will set off speculation about whether he'd be open to granting amnesty to any number of people residing in the country unlawfully. Trump has already appeared to back off a campaign pledge to repeal an Obama-era law that allows law-abiding minors in good standing to earn a work permit without fear of prosecution.
At the same time, he still pledged to construct a "great, great wall along our southern border" and challenged its opponents to respond to the American family who has lost a job, income or a loved one because of a lack of border security.
Trump endorsed a $1 trillion stimulus of infrastructure investment financed through public-private partnerships that he said would create millions of new jobs.
On the repeal and replacement of Obama's health care law – the first initiative Capitol Hill Republicans have said they would grapple with – Trump laid out the most extensive details on what he'd like to see in an alternative.
He wants to ensure Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage and endorsed using tax credits and health savings accounts to assist with purchasing health care. Giving states flexibility over their Medicaid programs and allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines were also priorities, the president said.
"Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America. The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we will do," Trump said.
On two other priorities, Trump was much less specific. He said his economic team was still in the midst of developing his tax-reform plan but reiterated that it would slash taxes for businesses and the middle class.
On the fight against the Islamic State, Trump simply promised that plans were underway to "extinguish this vile enemy from our planet," without delving into the details of the approach.
On Monday, the president signaled he would send a budget to Congress asking for a $54 billion increase in military spending, which would result in one of the largest increases for the Pentagon in American history.
The dramatic build-up of military power would be exchanged for domestic sacrifices and without altering long-held entitlements like Medicare and Social Security, which account for half of domestic spending. The Trump administration plans to offset new costs by placing programs within the Environmental Protection Agency, the Internal Revenue Service and State Department on the chopping block.
Trump dedicated the first part of his speech to promises he's kept during the first 40 days of his administration, citing companies that have decided to invest in the U.S., the reduction of regulations and the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
But Trump's executive order implementing a travel ban remains mired in a court battle and the TPP deal was already dead before he took office, leading Democrats to pour cold water on his accomplishments.
President Donald Trump reached for soaring optimism in his first joint address to Congress Tuesday, promising to bring back millions of jobs, partly through a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal, while floating a vague pitch for bipartisan immigration reform.
In what was a largely conventional and subdued but serious speech, Trump stayed on script to seek bipartisan support for an ambitious domestic legislative agenda that has stalled in the second month of his presidency. But he also drew on a Reaganesque tone of unity and strength to tout "a renewal of the American spirit," even as the nation he spoke to remained anxious about his approach and intentions.
Still, it was a first-rate performance for Trump – his best so far as president – giving himself an opportunity to reset his teetering agenda, which still faces considerable hurdles on both sides of the aisle in Congress.
"The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us. We just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts," Trump said.
After eight years under the polarizing, yet largely steady, reign of President Barack Obama, a continuously divided and yet more uneasy nation tuned in to see if its rebellious and unorthodox new president could inspire confidence in his vision after a shaky start. He appeared to accomplish that by promising to stay true to his campaign pledges but eliminating the bluster he so often employs in his rhetoric and trading it for an olive branch.
Trump touched on a wide range of issues and granted varying levels of specificity depending on the topic. The newest ground broke on immigration, where he championed the possibility of "real and positive immigration reform." While he did not explicitly float a pathway to citizenship for workers in the country illegally, he did advocate switching to a merit-based immigration system, which he claimed would "save countless dollars, raise workers' wages and help struggling families – including immigrant families – enter the middle class."
"If we are guided by the well-being of American citizens, then I believe Republicans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades," Trump said, in a comment that will set off speculation about whether he'd be open to granting amnesty to any number of people residing in the country unlawfully. Trump has already appeared to back off a campaign pledge to repeal an Obama-era law that allows law-abiding minors in good standing to earn a work permit without fear of prosecution.
At the same time, he still pledged to construct a "great, great wall along our southern border" and challenged its opponents to respond to the American family who has lost a job, income or a loved one because of a lack of border security.
Trump endorsed a $1 trillion stimulus of infrastructure investment financed through public-private partnerships that he said would create millions of new jobs.
On the repeal and replacement of Obama's health care law – the first initiative Capitol Hill Republicans have said they would grapple with – Trump laid out the most extensive details on what he'd like to see in an alternative.
He wants to ensure Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage and endorsed using tax credits and health savings accounts to assist with purchasing health care. Giving states flexibility over their Medicaid programs and allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines were also priorities, the president said.
"Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America. The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we will do," Trump said.
On two other priorities, Trump was much less specific. He said his economic team was still in the midst of developing his tax-reform plan but reiterated that it would slash taxes for businesses and the middle class.
On the fight against the Islamic State, Trump simply promised that plans were underway to "extinguish this vile enemy from our planet," without delving into the details of the approach.
On Monday, the president signaled he would send a budget to Congress asking for a $54 billion increase in military spending, which would result in one of the largest increases for the Pentagon in American history.
The dramatic build-up of military power would be exchanged for domestic sacrifices and without altering long-held entitlements like Medicare and Social Security, which account for half of domestic spending. The Trump administration plans to offset new costs by placing programs within the Environmental Protection Agency, the Internal Revenue Service and State Department on the chopping block.
Trump dedicated the first part of his speech to promises he's kept during the first 40 days of his administration, citing companies that have decided to invest in the U.S., the reduction of regulations and the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
But Trump's executive order implementing a travel ban remains mired in a court battle and the TPP deal was already dead before he took office, leading Democrats to pour cold water on his accomplishments.
