WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will be on Capitol Hill Tuesday night to address a joint session of Congress and the American people. It’s an opportunity to share his agenda six weeks into the job.
Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, said constituents in his district are praising Trump’s performance.
“They're so happy to hear that they now know where their taxpayer dollars are going and that where they're wasted, we're no longer going to be spending them there,” Tiffany said.
Trump has declared an emergency at the southern border and embarked on a mass deportation effort, banned transgender individuals from joining the military and fired thousands of federal employees, as he embarks on a government cost-cutting operation with his billionaire advisor Elon Musk.
Tiffany hopes the president talks about the future of the country.
“And I think if he's talking about energy independence, securing the border, strong America, peace through strength, I think the American people sense that there's good stuff coming,” Tiffany said.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, said he hopes Trump reassures the American people that their benefits won’t get cut.
Republicans are trying to work out a spending deal that widdles down the budget by $4.5 trillion dollars over a decade. Democrats are sounding the alarm, saying those cuts could impact crucial programs for lower income Americans, such as Medicaid and SNAP, the supplemental nutrition assistance program. Republicans continue to deny that will happen, saying they have not yet written a budget detailing what exactly will be cut.
“That's the message: If you're a veteran and you're using the GI Bill, you're going to be able to go to college. If you're a Gold Star family member, you're going to get your benefits. If you're one of our seniors, you're going to get your benefits and it's not going to get cut,” Van Orden said. “And I would hope that President Trump, and I’m sure he will, help people understand that he truly has the American people's best interest.”
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, has not held back in his criticism of the new administration. Pocan said Musk has too much power, and he said the president should address that in his speech, though that’s unlikely.
“Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire who gets federal contracts, having the spigot turn on and off federal dollars is corruption at its worst,” Pocan said. “I'm looking forward to him trying to satisfy people to think that we don't have a guy who thinks he's king, when he's actually president. So he’s got a lot of explaining to do.”
Freshman Senator Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan, will deliver the Democratic response to the President’s speech on Tuesday evening.
