On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump will give his first ever address to a joint Congress.
Being his biggest speech since the inauguration, the Commander-in-Chief has a ton to of things to address after a tumultuous month in office.
Just in case he needs some guidance on what exactly we’d like to hear from him, take heed below.
1. Immigration Rights and Regulation
During his campaign Trump made it clear that he had a seeded interest in vetting the country of immigrants from a certain persuasion. In addition to Mexicans, he also called out the Muslim community. And since being in office, he’s created a seven-country travel ban that was found unconstitutional and has offended Mexico’s current president. He definitely needs to use this moment to smooth relations out.
2. Russian Ties
This. One. Is. A. Biggie. Before he was even sworn in, talk of Trump having ties to the Kremlin were percolating. While he’s always vehemently denied the connection, the exit of General Michael Flynn, questionable connections of his cabinet members, and bromance with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin have raised red flags.
3. Transparency with Taxes
It seems like we’ve been asking for Trump’s tax returns since the beginning of time, and we’re not letting up. In addition to showing his financials ties, Trump’s tax returns would also show if he’s even paid taxes to the same government he’s running.
4. LGBTQ Rights
While Trump has stated that he has no intention of repealing the Marriage Equality Act, Vice President Mike Pence has gone of record with having issues with the gay community. To add fuel to the flames, Trump recently signed a bill prohibiting transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice.
5. Role of the Press
Trump has called out several publications for what he calls “fake news” and recently had them shut out of a press briefing. “I consider the media to be indispensable to democracy,” former President George Bush told Matt Lauer in a recent interview. “We need the media to hold people like me to account. I mean, power can be very addictive and it can be corrosive and it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power, whether it be here or elsewhere.”
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6. North American Free Trade Agreement
The trilateral agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada essentially regulated labor and goods that could be brought across borders. With a new secretary of commerce, Trump hopes to completely dismantle the agreement that could potentially send jobs overseas.
7. Environmental Protections
This morning Trump signed an executive order dismantling a 2015 Environmental Protection Agency rule placing 60 percent of the country’s streams and wetlands under the protection of the federal government. The idea is that Trump may go ahead and also end the Clean Power Plan, which sought to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Both were legacy policies of the Obama administration. Both are major concerns to environmentalists.
8. The Affordable Care Act
Like his taxes, we’ve been waiting for over a year for an idea/concept/plan/anything to address what will replace the ACA affectionately called, Obamacare. Trump promised a national healthcare plan would come this March, and we’re waiting to see what he has planned.