President Trump outlined his agenda on immigration, health care, terrorism and other key issues and called for unity in front of a divided Congress and a divided nation on Tuesday.
After months of promising to “Make America Great Again,” Trump said in his first address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night that “a new chapter of American Greatness is now beginning.”
Here’s what the president had to say on several key policy issues and the future of the country.
On Immigration
Trump claimed his actions restricting immigration would achieve positive outcomes, and that Americans can’t succeed “in an environment of lawless chaos.”
“By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions and billions of dollars, and make our communities safer for everyone,” Trump said.
Trump, referencing a study by the National Academy of Sciences, said abandoning “lower-skilled immigration” and turning to a “merit-based system” would save money, raise salaries and make it easier for “struggling families, including [legally documented] immigrant families,” to join the middle class. According to an NPR fact check of the speech, the study Trump referenced found the “impact of immigration on the wages of native-born workers overall was very small.”
“And they will do it quickly, and they will be very, very happy, indeed,” Trump said.
On Obamacare and Health Care
Trump called on Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work with the administration “to save Americans from this imploding Obamacare disaster.”
Throughout his campaign, Trump promised to work with Congress to swiftly repeal the Affordable Care Act, but after Trump took office, Republican members struggled to craft a replacement.
He emphasized the importance of guaranteeing coverage for people with “pre-existing conditions,” which the ACA requires, and ensuring a “stable transition” for Americans who are currently enrolled in state health care exchanges.”
The government should also help Americans purchase coverage on their own, through tax credits and expanded health savings accounts, but “it must be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by our government,” Trump said.
Trump also suggested giving governors “the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out” and giving individuals the opportunity to buy insurance across state lines, which he claimed would “create a truly competitive national marketplace that will bring costs way down and provide far better care.” The House Republican replacement proposal would roll back the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, according to the NPR fact check.
On Taxes
Taxes on American companies are among the highest in the world, Trump said, adding that his economic team is developing “historic tax reform” to help companies “compete and thrive” in a global market.
PolitiFact found that while the U.S. has a higher corporate tax rate than most industrial nations, U.S. companies in practice typically pay less than the official tax rate thanks to claim deductibles and exclusions.
He also called for “massive” tax cuts for the middle class, which could ultimately lead to a “level playing field” for the nation’s companies and workers.
On Terrorism
The president emphasized the need to protect the country from “radical Islamic terrorism,” after news outlets reported his new national security advisor, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, pressed him not to use the term during the speech.
Trump said Tuesday the “vast majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside our country.” But Department of Homeland Security research found that slightly more than half of people that the government determined were inspired by a terrorist group to attempt or carry out an attack in the U.S. were native-born citizens, the Associated Press reported.
Citing 9/11, attacks in San Bernardino and abroad in France and Belgium, Trump again called for securing U.S. borders and placing restrictions on travel and immigration.
On Jan. 27, Trump signed an executive order barring citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days. The order — which has since been blocked by federal courts — also suspended the entry of refugees for 120 days and suspended the entry of Syrian refugees in definitely.
“It is not compassionate, but reckless to allow uncontrolled entry from places where proper vetting cannot occur,” Trump said.
On Education
Trump called education ” the civil rights issue of our time,” and urged members of Congress to expand school choice. New Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has pushed for school choice – providing alternatives to traditional public education – in her home state of Michigan for years.
Trump said more options would help disadvantaged youth, “including millions of African-American and Latino children,” get a better education.
“These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them,” he said.
Other Issues
Trump said his administration wants to work with both parties in Congress to make child care accessible and affordable and provide parents with paid family leave, which has long been a Democratic priority.
Trump also reaffirmed an “unbreakable alliance” between the United States and Israel, and mentioned new sanctions his administration has imposed on “entities and individuals who support Iran’s ballistic missile program.”
By clearing the way for the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines, Trump said the projects will create “tens of thousands of jobs.” Though the construction of both pipelines will create jobs, most will be temporary, a New York Times fact check found. Plans for both pipelines had previously been halted due to environmental concerns and infringement on indigenous land.
On Unity
“While we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms,” Trump said Tuesday, specifically referencing the vandalization of Jewish cemeteries and shooting of two Indian men in Kansas.
“Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed. Every problem can be solved. And every hurting family can find healing and hope,” Trump said. “Our citizens deserve this, and so much more, so why not join forces and finally get the job done, and get it done right?”
Maryland Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer issued a statement opposing much of Trump’s rhetoric Tuesday night. He criticized Trump’s administration as “plenty of bluster and talk, but no real action to help Americans secure jobs, access opportunities, or get ahead.”
In a statement released Tuesday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Trump’s “first actions have been at odds with many of the values we hold dear as a nation.”
“I hope that, moving forward, Mr. Trump puts aside the divisive campaign rhetoric and works with Democrats to create good-paying jobs, invest in our nation’s infrastructure, and strengthen our schools and our job training programs,” his statement read.
