After his first year in the White House, President Trump and his Administration have much of which to be proud. Their accomplishments have delivered actual results, and the country is continuing to reap the benefits of those changes. During his first State of the Union speech, the President reinforced those achievements – many of which will certainly be remembered as signature accomplishments of his Presidency. Looking forward, he outlined an optimistic future for our nation, with a strong legislative agenda for the next year.
There is no question that the spike in economic growth that we have seen in the past year is due in part to the Administration working with a Republican Congress to push tax reform and deregulation. The President’s efforts to cut red tape coupled with the passage of several Congressional Review Acts have allowed the burden of federal regulations and rules to be lifted from businesses small and large. Stock markets have closed at record numbers numerous times in the past year and unemployment levels have dropped dramatically. And the recently passed tax reform legislation is already spurring job creation, rising wages and generous bonuses at thousands of American businesses.
In addition to a strong economy, the President has made our nation safer by aggressively confronting our enemies across the globe, particularly North Korea and ISIS. North Korea has been challenged by the no-nonsense approach the President and his National Security leaders have employed. Furthermore, the President has played a large role in urging our European allies to increase their efforts to support our common defense.
Looking to the future, the President outlined an aggressive agenda for the next year. He and Congress will need to work on a comprehensive transportation bill to improve our railways, roads, bridges and airways. Even more timely, we will need to work together on an immigration plan that will address his four pillars of reform. We need to increase border security including a stronger wall, end the visa lottery system, reduce chain migration to the nuclear family and create a pathway to legal status for millions of eligible DACA recipients. A good, working immigration reform will need the contribution and support from both sides of the aisle.
Overall, the President delivered an optimistic outlook for our nation. He invoked the spirit of American ingenuity and laid out a vision for future prosperity.
There were many powerful moments throughout his speech that reminded us of the blessings we enjoy living in this great nation, and how we can all support the goals to make America great again. I believe that the President is right – the state of our union is strong.
