State of the Union Takeaways
In the first State of the Union address of President Donald Trump’s second term, he reversed his position on a legislator stock trading ban and asked lawmakers to pass voter identification requirements. Here’s a quick refresher (or, if you couldn’t stay up late, the takeaways you need to know.)
Cost of Living: On the 2024 campaign trail, Trump had said he’d cut electricity prices in half within 18 months of taking office. Consumers’ power bills have instead gone up. In his speech, the president talked about pushing companies to be self-sufficient. “They can build their own power plants as part of their factory so that no one’s prices will go up,” Trump said. “And in many cases, prices of electricity will go down for the community and very substantially down.”
Stocks: Trump called on Congress to pass laws banning members and their families from purchasing individual, publicly traded stocks but didn’t explain why he no longer opposed it.
Disruption: Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) held up a sign saying, “BLACK PEOPLE AREN’T APES!” and was escorted out of the chamber.
Accusation: Pointing to the Democratic side of the aisle, the president said the high cost of health care was “caused by you.”
Victory Lap: Trump used the lion’s share of his time to tout the accomplishments of his first year back in office: A tax cut bill with exclusions for tipped income and overtime wages, “Trump” accounts for newborns, a declining inflation rate, and stock market highs.
Tariffs: Trump told lawmakers he won’t ask them for any trade legislation because he’s using other mechanisms to collect import levies. “Congressional action will not be necessary,” he said. “It is already time-tested and approved.” Read More
Supreme Court: Four justices attended. They’re the same ones who watched last year’s speech to a joint session of Congress: Chief Justice John Roberts along with Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Three of the four (all but Kavanaugh) had ruled that Trump’s emergency tariffs were illegal. After calling the justices “fools” and “lapdogs” on social media, Trump softened his criticism in the speech.
Guests: The men’s gold medal-winning US Olympic hockey team was there as Trump’s guests, getting applause from both sides of the aisle. In an emotional highlight of the evening, he awarded the Medal of Honor to Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, the helicopter pilot in the mission to apprehend Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, and to Korean War Navy Pilot Royce Williams.
At more than 107 minutes, it was the longest-ever speech to a joint session of Congress. Read More
See Also:
- Democrats’ Boycotts of Trump Speech Showcase Party Divisions
- Trump Offers Rose-Colored Glasses in Economic-Focused Speech
- Trump Pledges New Retirement Savings Plan for Workers Without 401(k)s
- Trump Says Iran Resumed Its Pursuit of ‘Sinister’ Nuclear Aims
Purple-State Lessons
If the House side of the Capitol complex feels quiet today, it’s because one party’s on its annual retreat.
Maeve Sheehey reports that House Democrats are headed to Leesburg, Va., where they’ll talk politics, policy, and strategy as the midterm primary season gets underway and a change of the chamber’s control is within reach.
Delivering messages that resonate with crossover voters will be key for both parties this fall. The retreat-goers are scheduled to hear from a fellow Democrat who showed that it can be done: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who also gave last night’s rebuttal to Trump’s State of the Union.
See Also: Congressional Race Roiled by Scandal After Aide’s Suicide
Campaign ’26 — Statehouse
An interesting political experiment is playing out in Indiana, where Trump has injected himself into state legislative primaries, testing his clout against politicians with more direct relationships with voters.
Alexandra Samuels reports that four Republican state senators there face primary election challengers backed by the White House.
The targeted incumbents crossed Trump by voted against a redistricting measure designed to give Republicans an advantage in every congressional district.
“When redistricting died in the Senate, it was in line with what the voters were saying,” Robert Dion, an associate professor of political science at the University of Evansville, said. “Well-known, well-liked lawmakers were voting the way their districts wanted them to.” Read More
Surgeon General Hearing
Senators today will question Trump’s choice to be the administration’s public face on questions of public health: surgeon general nominee Casey Means.
The Stanford University-trained physician is a health technology entrepreneur who focuses on diet as the root cause of chronic illness. Trump’s first surgeon general, Jerome Adams, has voiced concerns that Means doesn’t hold an active medical license.
Leading the scrutiny of her fitness for the post will be Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who’s also a physician.
Eye on the Economy
The US Chamber of Commerce has identified an extra impact from the Supreme Court ruling that struck down Trump’s global tariffs, Andrew Kreighbaum reports.
The business group says the logic in that decision can be applied to the administration’s $100,000 fee on H-1B workers from outside the US.
The justices found that Congress has exclusive power to tax. So when the executive branch adopts a revenue-raising measure, the president must cite explicit statutory authority. “Like the challenged tariffs, the $100,000 fee plainly is an exercise of Congress’s taxing power,” the Chamber’s attorney writes in a letter to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The appeals court is weighing a DC federal judge’s decision denying an injunction on the new fee. Read More
Another Byproduct
The high court’s tariff decision may ricochet in another way, as well, Catarina Saraiva and Amara Omeokwe report. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said that ruling unleashed uncertainty for businesses that could help cool inflation.
Goolsbee is a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, which makes interest-rate decisions. He said he wants to see evidence that inflation is cooling to the Fed’s 2% target before supporting further interest-rate cuts.
Employment is the other big factor that gets taken into consideration for interest-rate decisions. In a Bloomberg Television interview, Goolsbee said the labor market and economic growth are “pretty steady.” Read More
Also Read: Border Tax to Get Hearing After Supreme Court Tariff Ruling
Before You Go
GOP States’ Halt to H-1B Labor Squeezes Health-Care Providers
New restrictions on public-sector hiring of H-1B workers in Texas and Florida promise punishing effects on health-care employers and patients even as they burnish the anti-immigrant bona fides of state leaders.
Kaine Looks to Force Senate Iran War Powers Vote in Coming Days
Sen. Tim Kaine will seek to force a floor vote on a bipartisan war powers resolution on Iran as soon as this week.
Cleaning Up the Potomac River Sewer Spill Could Take Months
After a massive sewage spill in the Potomac River outside Washington, DC attracted the ire of President Donald Trump, federal officials are taking on a larger role in the disaster response — a job that could last months.
FDA Push for Nonprescription Drugs Risks Cost Shift to Consumers
The FDA’s call to industry to shift more prescription medications to over-the-counter stands to threaten drug coverage for patients as nonprescription products are generally excluded from health plans.
Courts Ask Congress for Power Over Courthouses in ‘Crisis’
The federal judiciary asked Congress for authority to manage its own buildings, claiming the General Services Administration has mismanaged its courthouses for decades and left them in “crisis.”
FBI Head’s Jet Use Delayed Shooting Response, Whistleblower Says
A whistleblower told Democrats on the Senate Judiciary committee that FBI agents had to drive through a winter storm overnight from Quantico, Virginia to Providence, Rhode Island to process evidence at a mass shooting scene because Director
Anthropic Drops Hallmark Safety Pledge in Race With AI Peers
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editors responsible for this story: