Trump hints at bombshell joint address to Congress

President Donald Trump described his upcoming joint congressional address as big on Tuesday, adding that he planned to share his direct thoughts and plans with lawmakers, according to a Monday social media post. The president told media members that he may provide an update on the unexpectedly stalled mineral deal with Ukraine in the address. The speech will come after weeks of his administration enacting policies he says are designed to cut spending throughout the federal government, as well as upend several Biden administration initiatives. Commentators expected Trump to use the joint congressional session like an unofficial state of the union by pushing new legislation, highlighting his successes, and rallying support for his agenda items.

How do Democrats plan to respond to the speech? Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., planned to boycott Trump’s speech and hold a simultaneously streamed town hall event. Oregonians want to hear about Social Security and Medicaid, not the Trump administration’s alternate reality, Wyden told CNN. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., also planned to skip the speech, which he claimed would only be a pep-rally for Trump Republicans.

Other Democratic lawmakers are taking the opposite approach by choosing to attend and bring guests who represent their political grievances with the Trump administration. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., planned to bring a mother of a child cancer patient in response to the Trump administration’s planned cuts to the National Institutes of Health, which she said would result in the defunding of childhood cancer research. A special education teacher will join Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., Tuesday night to emphasize the importance of funding public school education programs.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., planned to attend with a veteran recently fired during the Department of Government Efficiency’s budget cuts. Slotkin is also expected to deliver the Democratic Party’s response to Trump’s Tuesday night remarks. She plans to lay out her party’s plan for improving the lives of Americans in all areas, ranging from national security to economic security, according to a statement released last week.