President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to keep up his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy in an unyielding address to Congress and the nation that left Democratic legislators to register their dissent with stone faces, placards calling out “lies,” and one legislator’s ejection.
Here’s the latest:
That was then, this is now
The president has always reveled in his reputation for tough talk. But a look back at 2017, when Trump gave his first speech to Congress in his first term, shows how Trump has only become more of a hardliner.
Eight years ago, he talked about working with Canada’s Trudeau to support women entrepreneurs in both countries. He paid homage to “our nation’s path towards civil rights.” He said “real and positive immigration reform is possible.” There was no reference to Barack Obama, who he replaced in the White House.
Now Trump is feuding with Trudeau over tariffs. He used his speech to criticize diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which he’s been swiftly eliminating across the federal government. His remarks on immigration focused on deporting criminals. And he repeatedly derided Biden.
▶ Read more takeaways from Trump’s address to Congress
Espaillat claims in Spanish rebuttal that DOGE wants to cut essential programs
Espaillat claimed in his Spanish rebuttal that the Trump administration created the Department of Government Efficiency to cut essential programs like Social Security, Medicaid and benefits for veterans.
The Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, according to a person familiar with the agency’s plans who is not authorized to speak publicly. It’s not clear how the layoffs would impact the benefits of the 72.5 million Social Security beneficiaries.
___
Associated Press reporter Adriana Gomez Licon contributed reporting.
Trump airs grievances and inflates achievements
Trump set a tone of division almost from his first words, calling his predecessor Joe Biden the worst president in history and chiding Democrats as so stinting in their praise of him they would not even grant him perfunctory applause.
He placed himself alongside the country’s first president, George Washington, when discussing what he said was the flood of early achievements of his second term.
Trump leaned hard into cultural flashpoints: his opposition to affirmative action, diversity programs and transgender rights.
He inflated the scale of his victory in November, the margin of which was actually among the smallest in American history. The tenor was more that of a campaign speech than an address to Congress.
Trump described Democrats as a lost cause. “There is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy,” he said.
▶ Read more takeaways from Trump’s address to Congress
Democrats give Spanish-language response
Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, chair of the Hispanic Caucus, gave a rebuttal in Spanish, criticizing Trump for not doing enough to bring prices down and instead signing orders such as changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
“For the past 45 days, we’ve seen a president who acts more like a king, more like a monarch, than a president,” Espaillat said.
Speaker Johnson: ‘It was really shameful what the Democrats did’
House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News there may be a censure resolution brought to discipline Texas Rep. Al Green.
Green was removed from the chamber for disturbing Trump’s address.
Slotkin keeps things concise
“It’s late,” she began, “so I promise to be a lot shorter than what you just watched.”
Slotkin’s response to Trump’s speech was as concise as the president’s was wordy.
The Michigan senator’s address clocked in at around 11 minutes, compared to the about one hour and 40 minutes Trump’s speech took.
Slotkin implored listeners, “Don’t tune out. It’s easy to be exhausted. But America needs you now more than ever.”
Conservative immigration group criticizes Trump’s immigration ‘gold card’ plan
The Federation for American Immigration Reform, which backs immigration restrictions, predictably applauded Trump for his actions since Jan. 20 and the agenda he laid out in his speech. The group took him to task, though, for touting a $5 million “gold card” path to citizenship for wealthy buyers.
“Rather than a plan to allow people to buy their way into our country, the president should put forward a long overdue proposal to reform our legal immigration system that selects new immigrants based on merit, not money,” said Dan Stein, the group’s president.
Slotkin says the country will endure despite political division and upheaval
“We’ve gone periods of political instability before, and ultimately, we’ve chosen to keep changing this country for the better,” Slotkin said.
Slotkin closed her response to Trump’s speech by saying, “This isn’t the first time we’ve experienced significant and tumultuous change as a country.”
She described herself as a student of history and said that the U.S. is resilient and has emerged stronger from periods of social and political upheaval in the past.
Slotkin says grocery prices are rising, but they aren’t by much
“Grocery prices and home prices are going up, not down,” Slotkin said. “And he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either of those.”
Grocery prices aren’t actually rising by much, except for high-profile items such as eggs. Grocery costs, on average, have risen just 1.9% in the past year. At the peak of inflation in 2022, grocery prices soared more than 13% in a year.
Slotkin says Trump’s actions would have gotten him fired in the real world
“No CEO in America could do that without being summarily fired,” she said.
Slotkin criticized a Trump administration effort led by Musk for firing scores of federal employees only to rehire them then after realizing those dismissed worked on critical issues.
She suggested that Musk himself would have lost his job if he had done similarly in the business world.
Slotkin seeks to set the tone for Democrats
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin said that President Donald Trump is “trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends,” in Democratic response to his first joint congressional address of his second presidency.
Slotkin is attempting to present a refined economic message as the Democratic Party continues to struggle to unify around a strategy to counter Trump.
Democratic Response underway
Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin is giving the Democratic response to Trump’s speech from Wyandotte, Michigan, where she noted that both she and Trump won with voters last November.
She opened her remarks promising to keep things much tighter than Trump, who set a record for a joint address to Congress by talking for around an hour and 40 minutes.
Trump singles out ‘Islamic terrorism’ during Ramadan
“America is once again standing strong against the forces of radical Islamic terrorism,” Trump said in reference to a 2021 attack in Afghanistan that killed more than a dozen American servicemembers and around 170 Afghan civilians.
Muslims around the world, including an estimated 4.5 million who live in America, began observing on Friday the holy month of Ramadan, during which many fast, gather and commit to strengthening their faith.
Trump sets record for longest address to a joint session of Congress
Trump has set a record for the longest address to a joint session of Congress. And it wasn’t even close.
He talked for more than an hour and 40 minutes, breaking the previous record set by President Bill Clinton’s 2000 State of the Union address, which ran 1 hour, 28 minutes and 49 seconds.
That’s according to the American Presidency Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara, which has tracked speech length since President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
Trump’s speech is not technically a State of the Union since he only took office about six weeks ago. But his lengthy address is nonetheless the longest offered to a joint session of Congress.
Trump concludes his speech
“The golden age of America has only just begun,” he told Congress as he finished his speech after speaking for nearly 100 minutes.
Republican lawmakers rose to their feet and cheered the conclusion of Trump’s address, pumping their hands in the air while chanting “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Democrats quickly streamed from the chamber while GOP lawmakers tallied to shake hands with the president.
Trump wants to reduce childhood cancer
Trump said that driving down childhood cancer rates and studying autism cases in the U.S. will be a top priority for his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine and environmental advocate who is lobbying to redesign the U.S. food supply.
“Our goal is to get toxins out of our environment, poisons out of our food supply and keep our children healthy and strong,” Trump said.
Childhood cancer remains rare in the U.S., with about 15,000 children diagnosed with the disease every year. Cases of pediatric cancer have risen in recent years, but treatments have improved, leading to a decline in deaths from the disease.
Among 8-year-olds in the U.S., about 1 in 36 were diagnosed with autism in 2020.
‘I received an important letter’
Trump recited a letter he received earlier Tuesday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that the wartime president wants to come back to the table after an explosive Oval Office meeting last week broke down negotiations for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
“We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” Trump said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”
Arrest and extradition in connection with Afghanistan attack
Trump says the U.S. government is extraditing a suspect in the deadly Abbey Gate bombing in the final days of the Afghanistan withdrawal that killed 13 American servicemembers.
The White House identified the man as Muhammed Sharifullah and said he was on his way to the U.S. to face charges.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the extradition was the result of work by the FBI, Justice Department and CIA.
Trump claims responsibility for a rise in Army recruitment that preceded his presidency
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Army had its best recruiting in January, suggesting that the turnaround is tied to his time in office.
In fact, according to Army data, recruiting numbers have been increasing steadily over the past year, with the highest total coming in August 2024 — before the November election. Army officials closely track recruiting numbers.
A significant driver of the recruiting success was the Army’s decision to launch the Future Soldier Prep Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in August 2022. That program gives lower-performing recruits up to 90 days of academic or fitness instruction to help them meet military standards and move on to basic training.
Trump wants to ‘reclaim’ the Panama Canal
Trump gave a shoutout to Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, as the president detailed his plans to “reclaim” the Panama Canal. But Trump’s comments appeared to also be a veiled warning for his Cabinet official, who is under immense pressure to execute massive cuts to U.S. foreign policy efforts abroad.
“Good luck, Marco,” he said. “Now we know who to blame if anything goes wrong.”
He comment resulted in some laughter from Republicans. He quickly pivoted to point out that Rubio was confirmed unanimously in the Senate and that “he’s going to do a fantastic job.”
Democrats applaud Trump’s acknowledgement of US aid for Ukraine
It was the only line from Trump’s speech that drew more applause from Democrats than Republicans, yet Democrats applauded as Trump acknowledged that the U.S. has sent billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine.
A few Republicans also applauded but were more subdued. However, GOP lawmakers rose in a standing ovation when Trump told them that Ukraine was showing it was ready to negotiate a peace deal.
And seated Democrats joined Republicans’ standing applause for Americans recently released from Russia through a deal brokered by the Trump administration.
Trump says, ‘We need Greenland’
Trump said the U.S. supports Greenland’s right to determine its own future but would “welcome” the country into the United States for national security — and to make them rich, he claims.
“I think we’re going to get it,” he said of Greenland. “One way or another, we’re going to get it.”
Since his first term in office, Trump has expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, which is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally and a founding member of NATO. It is also home to a large U.S. military base.
Democrats continue to leave the chamber
Democratic lawmakers are continuing to duck out of President Trump’s speech.
The Democratic side of the chamber now has plenty of open seats as lawmakers leave. Some made shows of their exit to protest the president’s remarks, while others appeared to be simply ducking out as Trump’s speech goes on.
Trump wants an office of shipbuilding, but he gave few details
“I am announcing tonight that we will create a new office of shipbuilding in the White House and offer special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America,” he said.
Trump wants the United States to start building more large ocean-going vessels. It’s a push also being made by labor unions who see job gains in shipyards. But it’s unclear just what Trump’s move would accomplish.
Trump signs executive order renaming wildlife refuge for Houston girl killed
Trump signed an executive order renaming a wildlife refuge for a young girl who prosecutors say was killed by two Venezuelan men in the country illegally.
“The death of this beautiful 12-year-old girl and the agony of her mother and family touched our entire nation greatly,” Trump said.
Jocelyn Nungaray ’s death was one of several cases last year that became flashpoints in the immigration debate. Prosecutors have charged two Venezuelan men who entered the U.S. illegally with capital murder. Nungaray’s mother campaigned for Trump. She was in the audience Tuesday as Trump gave his address.
Speaking of Jocelyn’s love of animals, Trump said he decided to rename the wildlife refuge near her Houston home for her.
Trump’s address hits 80-minute mark
His campaign speeches often went above 90 minutes. His inaugural address in January, however, was about 30 minutes long.
Trump calls on Congress to criminalize gender-affirming surgeries for children
“I want Congress to pass a bill permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children and forever ending the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body,” Trump said.
Trump has already used executive actions to roll back a series of Biden administration policies promoting transgender rights, and he has vowed to stamp out “gender ideology.”
During his speech, the president asked Congress to limit gender-affirming surgeries performed on minors, though he offered few details. Some of Trump’s executive actions, meanwhile, have already been met by legal challenges.
Trump again invokes Springfield and Aurora
“Beautiful towns like Aurora, Colorado, and Springfield, Ohio, buckled under the weight of the migrant occupation and corruption like no one’s ever seen before,” Trump said. “Beautiful towns, destroyed.”
Both Springfield and Aurora — still standing, of course — figured in Trump’s campaign. At the time, he amplified false conspiracy theories that legal Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating dogs and cats.
Aurora had a more serious issue: a series of incidents at rundown apartment complexes, one of which was captured on video that showed heavily armed men going door to door. But the buildings have since been closed and Aurora, with a population 400,000, is the size of Tampa. It never buckled.
Child who overcame cancer sworn in as honorary Secret Service member
More than a dozen Democrats joined Republicans in a standing ovation for a guest of Trump, a child diagnosed with cancer who Trump said aspires to become a police officer. The child, named DJ, was held up by his father as Republicans and attendees in the House gallery chanted “DJ.”
Trump announced DJ would be sworn in by his new Secret Service director as a member of the force. DJ was held up by his father as he received a Secret Service badge by Director Sean Curran.
Democrats then went largely silent as Trump discussed his health policies. Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib held up a whiteboard that read, “You cut cancer research.” One Republican shouted, “MAHA baby!”
Democrats invoke Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons as he talks about ‘law and order’
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas., first shouted “January 6th” as Trump recounted his plans for combatting crime throughout the country. At least a dozen Democrats joined in the repeated chant as Trump discussed the need to crack down on violent criminals.
Trump pardoned around 1,500 rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump’s Democratic rivals are fundraising off his speech
“HOLY COW!!!!!” reads the subject line of an email from former Vice President Kamala Harris seeking contributions to the Democratic National Committee.
Harris and the Democratic Party’s prodigious fundraising operation raised more than $1 billion in their campaign against Trump. But the former vice president has continued to solicit contributions under the “Harris Fight Fund.”
That’s the post-election label for the “Harris Victory Fund,” a joint fundraising operation of Harris’ campaign, the DNC and state Democratic parties.
Trump echoes campaign rhetoric with ‘law and order’ message
“As we reclaim our sovereignty, we must also bring back law and order to our cities and towns,” he said. “In recent years, our justice system has been turned upside down by Radical Left lunatics.”
Trump has long promoted a tough-on-crime agenda and sought to paint Democratic-led cities as besieged by violence, despite statistics showing a downward trend in violent crime after a spike during the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump’s comments also echo his campaign trail rhetoric about the need for more aggressive policing. He suggested last year that “one rough hour” of law enforcement action would tamp down retail theft. He has also advocated for ensuring that officers “have immunity from prosecution.”
Trump lauds his wife’s work to criminalize revenge porn
Trump praised his wife for lobbying for a bill that would make it a federal crime to post intimate imagery online, whether real or fake. He thanked the Senate for passing the measure.
The president called it a “terrible, terrible thing” to publish such images online. He then seemingly joked: “I’m going to use that bill for myself, too, if you don’t mind.”
Trump says tariffs make Americans rich, while economists say his taxes make people poorer
“Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again,” Trump said. “And it’s happening. And it will happen rather quickly. There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much.”
Trump is banking on the idea that taxing imports is the road to riches for the United States. Most economists say Trump’s tariffs would hurt the country, as they’re tax increases that could raise the costs of goods in ways that could also harm economic growth. Trump suggests that the impact on inflation would be minimal.
When the Yale University Budget Lab looked at the tariffs that Trump imposed Tuesday on Canada, Mexico and China, it found that inflation would increase a full percentage point, growth would fall by half a percentage point and the average household would lose about $1,600 in disposable income.
Trump says agricultural products imported from abroad ‘may be very dirty and disgusting’
“Those goods that come in from other countries and companies, they’re really, really in a bad position in so many different ways,” Trump said. “They’re uninspected. They may be very dirty and disgusting as they come in and they pour in and they hurt our American farmers.”
Laying out more details on how he plans to stimulate the farming economy, Trump argued that increasing U.S. tariffs on agriculture products from abroad would protect domestic producers at home while acknowledging, “It may be a little bit of an adjustment period.”
But tariffs wouldn’t necessarily stop farm products from coming aboard, only make them more expensive for U.S. consumers.
Trump’s immigration fast-track for rich immigrants
Trump is touting a plan he announced on Feb. 26 to offer a “gold card” for prospective rich immigrants.
“For $5 million, we will allow the most successful job creating people from all over the world to buy a path to U.S. citizenship,” Trump said. “It’s like the green card, but better and more sophisticated.”
The program will replace an existing one offering U.S. visas to investors who spend about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people.
Under Trump’s plan, investors would have to pony up $5 million. They would have to pay taxes in the U.S., Trump said. More than 100 countries around the world have something similar.
But some countries, including Spain and the U.K., have ended their programs. Spain’s program was criticized for causing soaring housing prices, while there were security concerns over the U.K. program.
Both Democrats and Republicans clap for the family of Laken Riley
Riley, a University of Georgia student, was killed by an immigrant in the country without permanent legal status.
Congress passed and Trump signed into law a bill bearing her name as his first piece of legislation in his second term.
Most Democrats were seated and, after the round of applause, again held up “False” signs at Trump’s claims about the Biden administration’s approach to immigration.
Trump brags about gender policy
“I signed an order making it the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female,” he said.
Trump’s order actually states that there are only two immutable sexes, and it was one of a series Trump has signed that target the rights of transgender people.
The orders paved the way for kicking transgender people out of the military, denying changes to the sex marker on passports and erasing any mention of transgender people from a website commemorating the Stonewall riot, among others. And they’re facing legal challenges.
Two judges in the past week have kept on hold a policy to block federal funding for gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19.
Trump says Democrats will pay a price for opposing his tax cuts, but the record suggests otherwise
Trump taunted Democrats for opposing his tax cut plans, which could cost anywhere from $5 trillion to $11 trillion over 10 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a fiscal watchdog.
“I’m sure you’re going to vote for those tax cuts because otherwise I don’t believe the people will ever vote you into office,” he said.
Of course, Democrats know what happened after they opposed Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, many of which are set to expire next year because they were funded through debt. There was no political penalty for opposing Trump’s cuts that Democrats portrayed as favoring those with extreme wealth.
In the 2018 midterms, Democrats picked up a majority by gaining 40 seats, their strongest gain since the 1974 elections.
Trump says tariffs will help farmers, but farmers brace for uncertainty
Trump said farmers need to “bear with me again” as he imposes tariffs.
“I love the farmer,” he said.
But the retaliatory action from other countries could hurt farmers’ bottom lines by billions of dollars collectively if they remain in place long term, and consumers could quickly see that result in higher prices at the grocery store.
The exact toll is hard to predict at this stage. But tariffs make farmers uneasy about investing in expensive equipment.
“Farmers are very concerned,” said Steve Kuiper, a director at the Iowa Corn Growers Association.
Trump promises reciprocal tariffs are coming soon
“Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries,” he said.
Trump promised that come April 2, reciprocal tariffs will be imposed for most of the country’s trading partners.
“That’s reciprocal, back and forth. Whatever they tax us, we will tax that,” he said.
Trump has made similar threats for weeks but said he didn’t want to make the announcement on April 1 because of April Fool’s Day.
A rare bipartisan round of applause for an Alabama steelworker
Trump’s shoutout to one of his guests, an Alabama steelworker, father of seven and foster parent to 40, received a standing ovation from Republican lawmakers and applause from a clear majority of the seated Democratic caucus.
Other guests of Trump and First Lady Melania Trump received scattered seated applause from Democrats as well.
Trump dismisses the African nation of Lesotho
Trump said: “$8 million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.”
Trump cited the funding as an example of government waste uncovered by his administration and the Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump’s move to freeze foreign aid has significantly impacted a program that fights HIV in Lesotho, a poor nation in southern Africa. The program was started by Trump’s Republican predecessor, former President George W. Bush.
Trump calls out woman injured by transgender athlete
One of Trump’s orders is intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. At least 24 states have already passed similar laws and a federal version sputtered this week in the U.S. Senate.
“From now on, schools will kick the men off the girls team or they will lose all federal funding,” Trump said during his speech.
Like others, he portrays the order as a way to protect girls and women.
In the audience was Payton McNabb, a former North Carolina high school athlete who suffered a concussion and neck injury that ended her athletic career after a ball hit by a transgender athlete struck her in a 2022 match.
The president of the NCAA said last year he was aware of fewer than 10 active NCAA athletes who identified as transgender.
No checks for dead people
Trump said: “Believe it or not, government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members from people aged 100 to 109 years old. It lists 3.6 million people from ages 110 to 119.”
The databases may list those people, but that does not mean they are getting paid benefits, as Trump implied.
Social Security’s acting administrator, Lee Dudek, said last month: “The reported data are people in our records with a Social Security number who do not have a date of death associated with their record. These individuals are not necessarily receiving benefits.”
Part of the confusion comes from Social Security’s software system, which is based on the COBOL programming language and has a lack of date type. This means that some entries with missing or incomplete birthdates will default to a reference point of more than 150 years ago.
Republicans applaud, Democrats point to Musk at Trump line on unelected bureaucrats
Republicans jumped to their feet in applause as Trump told them “the days of unelected bureaucrats are over.”
But at the same time, Democrats pointed to Elon Musk, who is heading up the Department of Government Efficiency. Democrats have levied their criticism at Musk as his team has scoured the federal government, cutting probationary employees and federal contracts.
Trump again invokes the nonexistent ‘EV mandate’
Trump again said incorrectly — as he has done many times before — that his administration ended what he called the Biden administration’s “insane electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto workers and companies from economic destruction.”
But there is no federal mandate to force the purchase of EVs. The Democratic president’s policies tightened restrictions on pollution from gas-powered cars and trucks and were aimed at encouraging Americans to buy EVs as car companies shift from gas-powered vehicles to electric cars.
Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office that revokes a nonbinding goal set by Biden that EVs make up half of new cars sold by 2030.
Trump makes inflated statements about inflation
Trump said: “As you know, we inherited from the last administration an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare. Their policies drove up energy prices, pushed up grocery costs and drove the necessities of life out of reach for millions and millions of Americans. … We suffered the worst inflation in 48 years, but perhaps even in the history of our country, they’re not sure.”
Trump is keen to blame former President Joe Biden for inflation, even as consumer sentiment surveys by the Conference Board and the University of Michigan show people are worried about Trump’s tariffs pushing up prices.
Voters certainly felt worse off under Biden as the cumulative price increases exceeded the growth in average weekly wages, leaving many people feeling like they were falling behind. The consumer price index peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, the highest since December 1981. That was a four-decade high, but the rate declined through September 2024 and now stands at 3%.
Economists are definitely sure that inflation under Biden wasn’t the highest in history. After all, it was higher at the start of Ronald Reagan’s presidency, after having spiked during Jimmy Carter’s presidency. The consumer price index went as high as 23.7% in June 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Democrats keep shouting at Trump
Democratic Rep. Gil Cisneros, D-Calif., shouted, “What about the $400 million Tesla contract!” at Trump as the president discussed his cuts to the federal government.
Democrats increasingly groaned, shouted, “Not true!” and “Those are lies!” as Trump listed cuts his administration believes it has made to the federal budget.
More house Democrats also exited the chamber, bringing the count to at least a half dozen opposition lawmakers who have left Trump’s joint address.
Republicans cheer on Musk
Multibillionaire Elon Musk stood at Trump’s invocation of his Department of Government Efficiency.
The tech mogul waved as Republicans in the chamber cheered him.
Trump talks about an ‘energy emergency’
Trump said: “A major focus of our fight to defeat inflation is rapidly reducing the cost of energy. … That is why on my first day in office, I declared a national energy emergency.”
President Trump has already begun dismantling his predecessor’s climate change and renewable energy policies and declared a national energy emergency to speed up fossil fuel development. But most experts think the characterization of an “energy emergency” does not accurately reflect reality. Scientists say the globe is experiencing a climate emergency instead.
“The reality is that the United States is well-supplied with energy in all of its forms,” said Gary Dirks, senior director of the Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.
Trump also highlighted his moves to open up areas in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. But expanding the area available for companies to lease and drill doesn’t necessarily mean that more oil and gas will be produced.
Trump says his government must move quickly to lower egg prices
Trump talked about the price of eggs and other key staples at grocery stores, where prices have remained stubbornly high due to inflation.
He said Biden “let the price of eggs get out of control” and instructed members of his Cabinet to bring them down, saying they need to fix rising prices that he suggested the previous administration left them with.
Border crossings are down, but not at their lowest
Trump said: “Illegal border crossings last month were the lowest ever recorded. Ever.”
Not so.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that there were “8,326 apprehensions of illegals by Border Patrol at the U.S. – Mexico Border” in February. He called it the lowest number in history “by FAR” and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said it was “the lowest month in recorded history,” but U.S. government data show that the Border Patrol routinely averaged below that number in the 1960s.
While February marked the lowest arrest total in decades, the Border Patrol averaged less than February 2025 for the first seven years of 1960s. The government website does not track U.S.-Mexico border totals before 1960. The Border Patrol’s monthly average was 1,752 arrests in 1961.
Democrats tune out, Republicans tune in
Some Democrats are quietly chatting with each other as Trump delivers his remarks. Others are on their phones.
The caucus is largely silent, save for periodic groans and chuckling throughout Trump’s speech. A contingent of lawmakers continue to hoist protest signs.
And wearing the words “Resist” printed on the backs of their shirts, a handful of Democrats exited the House chamber.
Republicans are, by contrast, listening attentively to the president’s remarks and frequently cheering.
‘How did that work out’
Trump said: “We’ve ended weaponized government where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent like me. How did that work out?”
Trump is gloating about having survived, without any meaningful accountability, four different criminal prosecutions — only one of which went to trial. He’s also repeating a favored and oft-stated assertion that the Justice Department over the last four years was weaponized against him.
It’s a claim that overlooks the extensive evidence of criminal conduct that prosecutors say they gathered related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his hoarding of classified documents. And his suggestion that his administration has acted to restore impartial justice at the Justice Department belies the fact that the department’s decision-making has already been rife with political considerations.
A new working group on so-called weaponization is targeting the prosecutors who investigated Trump, and senior officials dismissed a criminal case against New York’s mayor because they saw him as an ally in the president’s fight against illegal immigration.
Not an ‘economic catastrophe’
Trump said: “Among my very highest priorities is to rescue our economy and get dramatic and immediate relief to working families. As you know, we inherited, from the last administration, an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare.”
Americans were certainly still gloomy about the post-COVID inflation spike that peaked in 2022, but Trump did not inherit a disastrous economy by any measure.
The unemployment rate ticked down to a low 4% in January, the month he took office, while the economy expanded a healthy 2.8% in 2024. Inflation-adjusted incomes have grown steadily since mid-2023. And inflation, while showing signs of stickiness in recent months and still elevated at 3% in January, is down from its 9.1% peak.
Trump says he’s stamped out diversity and inclusion initiatives nationwide
Trump said his administration has rushed to ban diversity and inclusion programs in the federal government and dismiss workers charged with advancing such efforts.
“Our country will be ‘woke’ no longer,” he said.
His efforts have prompted private companies and other entities to similarly roll back efforts to promote diversity. They have also drawn a series of legal challenges, many of which are still in court.
Trump admonishes Democrats for not cheering him
“It’s very sad, and it just shouldn’t be this way,” Trump said.
That was him chiding Democratic members of Congress for failing to stand and applaud as the president delivered his speech.
Democrats remained seated as Trump said it, some scowling. Many held up small black signs printed with “False” in white lettering. Every time Trump boasts of his accomplishments, they hold up the signs.
“Lie after lie after lie,” came one shout from the Democratic side of the chamber.
Trump borrows from Biden
“America is back.”
Trump started his address by taking a line from his predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden.
As president, Biden repeatedly said in speeches that he told world leaders that “America is back.” The former president meant those words as a sign to allies in Europe and Asia that the United States was reengaging with the world. In one noted anecdote, Biden said that one world leader responded to his comment by asking how America would be back. There was a fear among allies, Biden said, that Trump could return.
Now, Trump is using Biden’s line to suggest that his return to the presidency means his vision of America is back.
Democrat Al Green confronts Trump and is removed from House chamber
“The presidential election of Nov. 5 was a mandate like has not been seen in many decades,” Trump said as he began his speech.
“You have no mandate,” Democratic Rep. Al Green countered.
Republicans quickly jumped to their feet with chants of “USA! USA!”
Green was then removed from the House chamber.
Republican members cheered at his removal, shouting “Get out!” and “Goodbye!” at the lawmaker. Green shouted, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” at Trump before police escorted him from the chamber.
Some Democrats silently hold small signs protesting Trump’s joint address
The circular black signs have bold white lettering including the statements “Protect Veterans,” “Save Medicaid,” “False” and “Musk Steals.” Some Democrats held the signs higher as the president began his remarks.
‘America is back,’ Trump says
Trump has begun his joint congressional address to “USA! USA!” chants and talking about the first 43 days of his administration, which has been marked by a major effort at reshaping and downsizing the federal government led by billionaire Elon Musk, spats with America’s allies and economic uncertainties brought by new tariffs.
Republicans greet Trump with chants of ‘USA! USA!’
Republicans were boisterous as Trump stepped to the lectern in the House.
Republican lawmakers were on their feet, chanting “USA! USA!” as President Donald Trump basks in the applause.
The GOP lawmakers are jubilant, having won a trifecta of the White House, Senate and House in the elections. However, they also face a high-stakes task of delivering on Trump’s agenda as well as avoiding a government shutdown later this month.
A mostly present Democratic caucus
Despite some notable absences, the Democratic side of the House chamber is largely packed ahead of Trump’s address.
Some Democrats chose to boycott the speech, including Reps. Becca Balint of Vermont, Don Beyer and Gerry Connelly of Virginia, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Senators Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., also chose not to attend.
Republicans erupt in applause, Democrats don’t move as Trump enters
The Republican side of the House chamber was on their feet, whistling and applauding as Trump’s entrance was announced.
The Democrats, meanwhile, were practically motionless. They were seated and mostly faced forward as Trump entered.
President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to keep up his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy in an unyielding address to Congress and the nation that left Democratic legislators to register their dissent with stone faces, placards calling out “lies,” and one legislator’s ejection.
President Donald Trump has begun his address to Congress and the American people, laying out his plans for the months ahead.
Trump’s dizzying first weeks in office have featured a dismantling of the federal government, tensions with America’s allies and a trade war compounding economic uncertainty.
Recommended Videos
Here’s the latest:
Trump talks about an ‘energy emergency’
Trump said: “A major focus of our fight to defeat inflation is rapidly reducing the cost of energy. … That is why on my first day in office, I declared a national energy emergency.”
President Trump has already begun dismantling his predecessor’s climate change and renewable energy policies and declared a national energy emergency to speed up fossil fuel development. But most experts think the characterization of an “energy emergency” does not accurately reflect reality. Scientists say the globe is experiencing a climate emergency instead.
“The reality is that the United States is well-supplied with energy in all of its forms,” said Gary Dirks, senior director of the Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University.
Trump also highlighted his moves to open up areas in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling. But expanding the area available for companies to lease and drill doesn’t necessarily mean that more oil and gas will be produced.
Trump says his government must move quickly to lower egg prices
Trump talked about the price of eggs and other key staples at grocery stores, where prices have remained stubbornly high due to inflation.
He said Biden “let the price of eggs get out of control” and instructed members of his Cabinet to bring them down, saying they need to fix rising prices that he suggested the previous administration left them with.
Border crossings are down, but not at their lowest
Trump said: “Illegal border crossings last month were the lowest ever recorded. Ever.”
Not so.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform that there were “8,326 apprehensions of illegals by Border Patrol at the U.S. – Mexico Border” in February. He called it the lowest number in history “by FAR” and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said it was “the lowest month in recorded history,” but U.S. government data show that the Border Patrol routinely averaged below that number in the 1960s.
While February marked the lowest arrest total in decades, the Border Patrol averaged less than February 2025 for the first seven years of 1960s. The government website does not track U.S.-Mexico border totals before 1960. The Border Patrol’s monthly average was 1,752 arrests in 1961.
Democrats tune out, Republicans tune in
Some Democrats are quietly chatting with each other as Trump delivers his remarks. Others are on their phones.
The caucus is largely silent, save for periodic groans and chuckling throughout Trump’s speech. A contingent of lawmakers continue to hoist protest signs.
And wearing the words “Resist” printed on the backs of their shirts, a handful of Democrats exited the House chamber.
Republicans are, by contrast, listening attentively to the president’s remarks and frequently cheering.
‘How did that work out’
Trump said: “We’ve ended weaponized government where, as an example, a sitting president is allowed to viciously prosecute his political opponent like me. How did that work out?”
Trump is gloating about having survived, without any meaningful accountability, four different criminal prosecutions — only one of which went to trial. He’s also repeating a favored and oft-stated assertion that the Justice Department over the last four years was weaponized against him.
It’s a claim that overlooks the extensive evidence of criminal conduct that prosecutors say they gathered related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his hoarding of classified documents. And his suggestion that his administration has acted to restore impartial justice at the Justice Department belies the fact that the department’s decision-making has already been rife with political considerations.
A new working group on so-called weaponization is targeting the prosecutors who investigated Trump, and senior officials dismissed a criminal case against New York’s mayor because they saw him as an ally in the president’s fight against illegal immigration.
Not an ‘economic catastrophe’
Trump said: “Among my very highest priorities is to rescue our economy and get dramatic and immediate relief to working families. As you know, we inherited, from the last administration, an economic catastrophe and an inflation nightmare.”
Americans were certainly still gloomy about the post-COVID inflation spike that peaked in 2022, but Trump did not inherit a disastrous economy by any measure.
The unemployment rate ticked down to a low 4% in January, the month he took office, while the economy expanded a healthy 2.8% in 2024. Inflation-adjusted incomes have grown steadily since mid-2023. And inflation, while showing signs of stickiness in recent months and still elevated at 3% in January, is down from its 9.1% peak.
Trump says he’s stamped out diversity and inclusion initiatives nationwide
Trump said his administration has rushed to ban diversity and inclusion programs in the federal government and dismiss workers charged with advancing such efforts.
“Our country will be ‘woke’ no longer,” he said.
His efforts have prompted private companies and other entities to similarly roll back efforts to promote diversity. They have also drawn a series of legal challenges, many of which are still in court.
Trump admonishes Democrats for not cheering him
“It’s very sad, and it just shouldn’t be this way,” Trump said.
That was him chiding Democratic members of Congress for failing to stand and applaud as the president delivered his speech.
Democrats remained seated as Trump said it, some scowling. Many held up small black signs printed with “False” in white lettering. Every time Trump boasts of his accomplishments, they hold up the signs.
“Lie after lie after lie,” came one shout from the Democratic side of the chamber.
Trump borrows from Biden
“America is back.”
Trump started his address by taking a line from his predecessor in the White House, Joe Biden.
As president, Biden repeatedly said in speeches that he told world leaders that “America is back.” The former president meant those words as a sign to allies in Europe and Asia that the United States was reengaging with the world. In one noted anecdote, Biden said that one world leader responded to his comment by asking how America would be back. There was a fear among allies, Biden said, that Trump could return.
Now, Trump is using Biden’s line to suggest that his return to the presidency means his vision of America is back.
Democrat Al Green confronts Trump and is removed from House chamber
“The presidential election of Nov. 5 was a mandate like has not been seen in many decades,” Trump said as he began his speech.
“You have no mandate,” Democratic Rep. Al Green countered.
Republicans quickly jumped to their feet with chants of “USA! USA!”
Green was then removed from the House chamber.
Republican members cheered at his removal, shouting “Get out!” and “Goodbye!” at the lawmaker. Green shouted, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” at Trump before police escorted him from the chamber.
Some Democrats silently hold small signs protesting Trump’s joint address
The circular black signs have bold white lettering including the statements “Protect Veterans,” “Save Medicaid,” “False” and “Musk Steals.” Some Democrats held the signs higher as the president began his remarks.
‘America is back,’ Trump says
Trump has begun his joint congressional address to “USA! USA!” chants and talking about the first 43 days of his administration, which has been marked by a major effort at reshaping and downsizing the federal government led by billionaire Elon Musk, spats with America’s allies and economic uncertainties brought by new tariffs.
Republicans greet Trump with chants of ‘USA! USA!’
Republicans were boisterous as Trump stepped to the lectern in the House.
Republican lawmakers were on their feet, chanting “USA! USA!” as President Donald Trump basks in the applause.
The GOP lawmakers are jubilant, having won a trifecta of the White House, Senate and House in the elections. However, they also face a high-stakes task of delivering on Trump’s agenda as well as avoiding a government shutdown later this month.
A mostly present Democratic caucus
Despite some notable absences, the Democratic side of the House chamber is largely packed ahead of Trump’s address.
Some Democrats chose to boycott the speech, including Reps. Becca Balint of Vermont, Don Beyer and Gerry Connelly of Virginia, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Senators Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., also chose not to attend.
Republicans erupt in applause, Democrats don’t move as Trump enters
The Republican side of the House chamber was on their feet, whistling and applauding as Trump’s entrance was announced.
The Democrats, meanwhile, were practically motionless. They were seated and mostly faced forward as Trump entered.
Cabinet members arrive at House chamber
The president’s Cabinet has entered the House chamber. Secretaries are being greeted by and chatting with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle.
A minority of the Supreme Court at Trump’s speech
Four sitting members of the Supreme Court are attending Trump’s joint address to Congress. It is normal for some members of the court to not appear at the president’s speeches before Congress.
Chief Justice John Roberts entered the chamber accompanied by Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Elena Kagan and Brett Kavanagh. Former Justice Anthony Kennedy is also present.
Absent from the group were Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor.
Trump expected to take credit for ‘swift’ action on immigration, economy
In his joint congressional address, Trump is expected to take credit for “swift and unrelenting” action on immigration, economy and security, according to early excerpts released by the White House.
Trump will begin his speech by saying he has accomplished more in his six weeks in office than most administrations in four or eight years. He is also expected to call this moment the “dawn of the Golden Age of America.”
A starkly partisan welcome
Vice President JD Vance and members of the U.S. Senate received starkly different greetings from each side of the aisle. Vance and the Republican senators entering alongside him received applause from Republicans and their guests while Democrats almost were entirely seated and uniformly silent.
Senators largely mingled with and were embraced by members of their own party.
Elon Musk takes a seat in the gallery
Overlooking the House chamber, Elon Musk has taken a seat in the gallery.
Wearing a suit with a dark blue tie, Musk received a bit of applause from other guests in the gallery as he shook hands with those seated around him.
Seated along with him is newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel, as well as members of Trump’s family — Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Lara Trump.
Vice President JD Vance gets warm greeting from House Republicans
Vice President JD Vance is entering the House chamber to hearty handshakes and hugs from his fellow Republicans.
Until just a few weeks ago, Vance held an office in the Capitol as Ohio’s senator. He is still frequently there, taking on a role in the Trump administration of guiding the president’s nominees to confirmation.
Who is the ‘designated survivor’?
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has been selected to be the designated survivor for Trump’s speech, according to a White House official.
When government officials gather for big events, a “designated survivor” is kept away to make sure someone in the line of presidential succession stays alive in case of a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.
___
Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller contributed reporting.
Pink is the color of the night for Democratic women
Democratic congresswomen are aiming to send a feminist message at President Trump’s speech with their blazers, dresses and scarves.
More than three dozen members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus are wearing pink and burgundy clothing for the president’s joint address, a color palette the women believe represents female empowerment. At least a half dozen congressmen have joined in on the action with pink ties.
Trump heads to the Capitol
The president and first lady Melania Trump have left the White House and entered his armored limousine for the short drive to the Capitol.
Billionaire Elon Musk was seen walking out of the White House a few seconds before Trump to join the presidential motorcade to the Capitol.
DC to remove ‘Black Lives Matter’ street mural near White House
The District of Columbia will remove the large “Black Lives Matter” painted on the street a block from the White House as Mayor Muriel Bowser struggles to fend off threats of encroachment from both President Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress.
Bowser announced the change on X on Tuesday, writing: “We can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference. The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern.”
Bowser ordered the painting and renamed the intersection Black Lives Matter Plaza after days of chaotic protests over police brutality that brought her into conflict with Trump during his first term.
Why isn’t Trump’s address called the State of the Union?
By tradition, a State of the Union address is intended as a look back on the prior year. Trump just took office on Jan. 20, so he’s only been in office for just over a month.
Instead, newly inaugurated presidents typically use their first joint congressional address to look forward, setting a tone for their legislative agenda. According to the Congressional Research Service, the average number of policy requests in a first-year address is 42.
What will happen after Trump speaks?
The opposing party — in this case, the Democrats — will offer a message in response to the joint congressional address. That also happens after State of the Union addresses.
This year, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin will give the Democrats’ response, which will also be televised. Democratic leaders have said that in her message, Slotkin will likely focus on economic issues.
The party has also tapped Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, chair of the Hispanic Caucus, to give a Spanish-language response. On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, allowing government agencies to choose whether to offer documents and services in languages other than English.
FBI and DOJ headquarters among more than 440 federal buildings listed for potential sale
The Trump administration on Tuesday published a list of more than 400 federal properties it says it could close or sell, including the FBI headquarters and the main Department of Justice building, after deeming them “not core to government operations.”
The headquarters of numerous agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, are listed as well.
The list published by the General Services Administration includes some of the country’s most recognizable buildings and spans nearly every state, with properties ranging from courthouses to office buildings and parking garages.
▶ Read more about the properties the GSA says could close
Second judge orders longer-term block on Trump orders on transgender youth health care
A second federal judge has extended a block on Trump’s executive orders halting federal funding for providers of gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19.
The judge’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed earlier this month on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children who allege their health care has already been compromised by the president’s orders.
The preliminary injunction keeps enforcement of the orders on hold while the case plays out, though the administration is expected to appeal.
▶ Read more about the block on Trump’s executive orders
Who is attending Trump’s speech?
Trump will speak in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol, which is large enough to accommodate both House and Senate lawmakers, as well as members of the U.S. Supreme Court and Trump’s Cabinet.
There’s always one Cabinet member missing, though. Called the “designated survivor,” that person is intentionally left out to ensure that someone could assume the office of the president in case of a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.
The president also typically invites guests who sit in the balcony above the House floor with the first lady. Sometimes there are personal connections, and other times the guests have an association with an issue the president intends to highlight in his remarks.
Vance will head to the U.S.-Mexico border
Vice President JD Vance will travel to the U.S.-Mexico border for a firsthand look at the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Vance will be in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday, according to state officials and local activists. Federal aviation officials have also cleared air space for Air Force Two to make the trip.
The vice president is making a series of stops, including to Shelby Park, a municipal park along the Rio Grande that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott seized from federal authorities last year in a feud with the Biden administration.
How to watch Trump’s address to Congress
Trump will deliver the first joint congressional address of his second presidency on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.
A number of networks have said they plan to air Trump’s address across their broadcast and streaming platforms, with special programming before and afterward. The Associated Press will livestream the address online at apnews.com and on its YouTube channel.
The Republican president will be speaking in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol, which is large enough accommodate both House and Senate lawmakers as well as other officials who are typically invited to such events.
The IRS is drafting plans to cut as much as half of its 90,000-person workforce, AP sources say
The IRS is drafting plans to try to cut its workforce of roughly 90,000 people in half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts, according to two people familiar with the situation and not authorized to speak on the record.
A reduction in force of tens of thousands of people would render the IRS “dysfunctional,” said John Koskinen, a former IRS Commissioner.
The federal tax collector employs roughly 90,000 employees total across the United States, according to the latest IRS data. People of color make up 56% of the IRS workforce, and women represent 65%.
The reductions are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency.
▶ Read more about the planned cuts
___
Associated Press reporter Fatima Hussein contributed reporting.
GOP chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee hopes for ‘deep breath’ in US-Ukraine relations
Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi had been notably quiet since the fallout from Zelenskyy’s Oval Office visit.
But on Tuesday, he released a statement saying he hopes lawmakers can “take a deep breath” and that “the excellent, hopeful signs that come from this statement by President Zelenskyy came to fruition and come to fruition quickly.”
Wicker was among the senators who met with Zelenskyy ahead of his disastrous meeting with Trump. Friends can argue and move on, he said. “And I think we’re seeing that process today. I hope to heaven that that is the case.”
Congressional Black Caucus plots resistance to Trump
Rep. Yvette Clarke, a New York Democrat, said more than two dozen of its members discussed in a wide-ranging meeting how to navigate against the Republican-led Congress and the Trump administration.
“We’re going to do everything we can in unity to push back and to stop the most egregious of things from happening that comes through the legislative process,” she said.
Rep. Troy Carter, a Louisiana Democrat, said “we’re going to embarrass those members who should be doing better by the people that elected them.”
The lawmakers say many of those efforts start online.
Protest events scheduled in all 50 states ahead of Trump address
Protest groups gathered at parks, statehouses and other public grounds across the country to assail Trump’s presidency as dangerous and un-American.
Events were scheduled throughout the day on Tuesday in all 50 states, including later gatherings on the West Coast and in Hawaii.
The rallies and marches — set in motion by the fledgling 50501 Movement, a volunteer-driven group organized in the weeks after Trump’s inauguration — mark the latest attempt at national resistance to the hardened support of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” base and the success it has had in reshaping the Republican Party in the president’s populist image.
▶ Read more about the protests
Trump’s pick as NATO ambassador says US commitment to the alliance is ‘ironclad’
Trump’s pick as NATO ambassador reassured senators at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the administration’s commitment to the military alliance was “ironclad.”
The U.S. commitment has been called into question by Trump’s scathing criticism of European allies and his eagerness to build ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Matt Whitaker, an acting attorney general in Trump’s first term, told senators that a key part of his mission would be to push the 32 NATO allies to meet Trump’s demand to increase their own defense spending.
▶ Read more about Trump’s pick as NATO ambassador
Judge orders Trump administration to detail the steps it has taken to restore refugee program
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle says he’s concerned that the Trump administration canceled contracts with refugee resettlement agencies just a day after he ordered the government to reinstate the program.
Whitehead issued a preliminary injunction last week that halted Trump’s efforts to suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
But a day later, major resettlement agencies, including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS, received notifications that their “cooperative agreements” with the State Department had been canceled. The groups said in a court filing on Thursday that it appeared the administration was trying to circumvent the ruling.
During a hearing Tuesday, Whitehead said he had those same concerns, but he agreed with the Justice Department that the termination notices were not technically in violation of the injunction.
Commerce secretary says US likely to meet Canada and Mexico ‘in the middle’ on tariffs
After Trump’s tariffs rattled the economy, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the United Sates will likely meet Canada and Mexico “in the middle” with an announcement coming as soon as Wednesday.
Lutnick told Fox Business News that he has been on the phone with Canadian and Mexican officials after Trump on Tuesday imposed 25% tariffs on the countries, including 10% import taxes on Canada’s energy products such as oil and electricity.
Lutnick said the tariffs would not be paused but that Trump would reach a compromise.
“I think he’s going to figure out, you do more and I’ll meet you in the middle in some way,” Lutnick said. “We’re going to probably be announcing that tomorrow.”
FEMA official fired over immigration payments to NYC sues
Mary Comans was one of four employees fired Feb. 11 by Homeland Security.
These transactions have been standard for years through a program that refunds some communities the cost they incur caring for a surge in migration.
But they’ve come under intense attack by Republicans. The workers were accused of circumventing leadership to make the transactions.
The lawsuit says her removal was unlawful.
In a statement Comans said she’d faithfully “served my oath to the Constitution” and said her termination was politically motivated.
Trump wants to use the ‘God Squad’ to increase lumber production, but it must follow strict rules
Trump wants to increase logging in national forests and on public lands, including by bypassing endangered species protections.
To do that, the federal government would have to activate a seldom-used committee nicknamed the “God Squad” because it can approve federal projects even if it leads to extinction of a species otherwise protected by the Endangered Species Act.
But experts say there are strict procedural requirements — and no provision under law to proactively use the committee to bypass protections.
▶ Read more about how Trump wants to use the “God Squad”
Produce company warns of possible cost increase
Oxnard, California-based Mission Produce packs avocados and mangos and distributes them to supermarkets and restaurants all over the world.
Mission Produce co-founder and CEO Steve Barnard said the company grows some of its own produce in Peru, Guatemala, California and South Africa. But this time of year, most avocados come from Mexico.
Barnard said Mission Produce still has pre-tariff inventory ripening up in its U.S. warehouses, so it won’t need to raise prices immediately.
“If this thing lasts 10 days or more, our costs will be substantially different. We’ll have to come to the table and figure something out,” Barnard said.
Judge rules against Trump in firing of board member
A federal judge has ruled that Trump did not have the authority to attempt to fire a member of the board responsible for protecting federal government employees from political reprisals or retaliation for whistleblowing.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras concluded that Trump doesn’t have the power to remove Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris from office “at will.”
Contreras ruled less than a week after a different judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that Trump unlawfully tried to remove Hampton Dellinger, who leads the Office of Special Counsel. Both cases ultimately could wind up in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Weapons on their way to Ukraine were part of Trump’s pause
Trump’s order pausing aid to Ukraine includes military assistance and weapons that had already been approved and were en route to the country, according to a defense official.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations, said that it’s not clear what weapons that includes or how much aid was stopped even as it was en route to Kyiv.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. had used two major ways to provide security assistance to Kyiv: presidential drawdown authority, which takes weapons and supplies from Pentagon stockpiles and sends them quickly to the warfront, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which uses longer-term contracts to send weapons.
The official said that some weapons approved by the Biden administration in recent months that were being provided through the drawdown authority were affected by Trump’s pause.
But no details are available. As an example, a $500 million aid package was approved in January, before Biden left office. It included missiles for air defense, ammunition bridging systems and other equipment. Officials did not know how much of that aid had already arrived in Ukraine.
It’s also unclear whether Trump’s order has any impact on any of the contracts that were authorized or finalized under USAI during the Biden administration.
—Lolita C. Baldor
Trump ‘welcomes input’ after Arab leaders endorse Egypt’s postwar plan for Gaza
The Egypt plan, approved by Arab leaders at a summit in Cairo on Tuesday, would allow Palestinians to remain in the territory during a post-war reconstruction unlike Trump’s plan that calls for depopulating the strip and redeveloping it as a beach destination.
National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said Trump “stands by his bold vision for a post-war Gaza” but also “welcomes input from our Arab partners in the region.”
“It’s clear his proposals have driven the region to come to the table rather than allow this issue to devolve into further crisis,” Hughes added.
Arab leaders approved the Egyptian proposed $53 billion plan to rebuild Gaza by 2030 as the continuation of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire is uncertain.
Israel’s leaders have welcomed Trump’s proposal, which Human Rights Watch and others have said would amount to “ethnic cleansing,” the forcible displacement of the civilian population of a national group from a geographic area.
Trump administration set to drop lawsuit pushing Idaho to allow emergency abortions, filing shows
Idaho has a strict ban on the procedure, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
The Justice Department outlined its plans to move for dismissal of the lawsuit originally filed by the Biden administration, according to the court papers filed by St. Luke’s Health System, the state’s largest hospital network.
Dropping the case would represent a dramatic reversal from the previous administration, in a state with one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws.
St. Luke’s is seeking a court order allowing doctors to continue providing abortions in emergency situations as they deem necessary. The hospital has previously said Idaho’s abortion ban required pregnant women to be flown out of state for emergency care.
A Justice Department spokesperson and Idaho officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
▶ Read more about the emergency abortion lawsuit
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
