In an hour, President Donald Trump covered a lot of ground in his first address to Congress. Here are the highlights of his plans:
Hate Crimes: Denounced the recent rash of anti-Semitic acts and hate crimes, including the shooting in Kansas City.
Job Creation: Touted deals he says he made with a number of American companies to produce new jobs and the deregulation he has proposed that he believes will lead to job growth.
Budget: Cited his proposed budget, which he reiterated would increase spending on defense and veterans.
Taxes: Didn't offer specifics, but claimed his “economic team is developing historic tax reform" that will reduce taxes on corporations and provide “massive relief for the middle class.”
Health Care: Warned of an “imploding Obamacare disaster” and called for it to be repealed and replaced before that happens. Trump said Republicans and Democrats must work together to ensure coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions, expand coverage through tax credits and “Health Savings Accounts,” give states greater control over Medicaid, implement legal reforms to protect patients and doctors from costs that drive up insurance, and allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines.
Infrastructure: To rebuild America’s “crumbling infrastructure,” Trump asked Congress — with an approving nod from House Speaker Paul Ryan — to pass legislation that would invest $1 trillion into the country’s infrastructure via public and private capital. The president said it would be guided by two principles: “buy American, and hire American.”
Childcare: Offered to work with both parties to expand access to affordable childcare, ensure paid family leave, and increase investment in women’s health care.
Education: Called education “the civil rights issue of our time” and asked Congress to pass a bill that increases school choice.
Immigration: Reinforced the need for strict detain-and-deport approach and honored guests who had lost loved ones to crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. Also called for a "merit-based immigration system" that he said would mirror the policies of Canada and Australia.
The Wall: Insisted the United States needed to build a “great wall along our southern border” because the nation had left the borders “wide open for anyone to cross — and for drugs to pour in at a new unprecedented rate.”
Crime: Pointed to gun violence in Chicago and thousands of death that have resulted and said the Department of Justice would create a Task Force on Reducing Violent Crime.
Terrorism: Made a point by using the words “radical Islamic terrorism” and said it must be rooted out and referenced his controversial executive order that restricted travel from seven Muslim-majority nations.
