Congressional Republicans are giving Trump a long leash at his joint address tonight despite mounting backlash in their districts to his Washington disruptions.
GOP lawmakers widely agreed they’d like the president to focus on the economy, immigration and continuing peace talks with Ukraine. But they don’t expect him to shy away from talking about Musk’s federal government cuts, either.
Sen. Rick Scott told Lisa that Trump should talk about his plans to “get inflation under control” and balance the budget. Sen. John Kennedy said he expects Trump will talk about DOGE’s spending cuts. But Republicans broadly declined to give the president suggestions for his big speech.
Trump is expected to talk about immigration and the economy — with some surveys now showing that majorities of Americans think the president is steering the economy in the wrong direction. But that’s if he stays on script. Trump’s already said he plans to “TELL IT LIKE IT IS” tonight.
Here’s what Rep. Chris Smith told Mia about Trump’s penchant for meandering: “I love ad libs. That doesn’t mean everybody else likes it.”
Trump has also indicated he plans to share news on Ukraine during the speech — a day after he halted military aid to the war-torn country following a contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
Don’t expect a large Democratic boycott this time. Some are skipping the speech (against the wishes of House Democratic leaders). But the party out of power is planning to pack the chamber with fired federal workers and people who could be affected by potential cuts to public benefits.
What else we’re watching:
- Spending talks continue: Top Republican appropriators Tom Cole and Susan Collins are still negotiating on new spending bills, despite Johnson and Trump endorsing a stopgap bill through September. They’re preparing the long funding patch, but also a short-term one in case they can reach a more comprehensive spending deal with Democrats. The text of the spending patch through September is expected this weekend.
- Budget latest: House Ways and Means Republicans are tentatively scheduled to start drafting the GOP’s party-line bill enacting Trump’s tax agenda next week. On the other side of the Capitol, Senate GOP leadership staffers told other GOP offices on Monday that they’re not even close to resolving Senate demands on the House budget plan.
- Ukraine backlash: Top Republicans, including Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, believe the mineral rights deal that unraveled after Trump and Zelenskyy’s Oval Office showdown can be salvaged. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham, who suggested after Friday’s dustup that Zelenskyy should apologize or resign, struck a notably softer tone on Monday.
Megan Messerly, Meredith Lee Hill, Benjamin Guggenheim, Jordain Carney and Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.