 "President Donald Trump speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast at the Capitol in Washington, on Feb. 6, 2025. AP File")
US President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, presenting his vision for the country and the world, which has been shaped by his “America First” agenda and a series of significant executive actions.
The speech, set for 9 pm (2 am GMT Wednesday) at the US Capitol, comes six weeks after his inauguration and four years after his supporters stormed the building in the wake of his 2020 election defeat.
During his address, Trump is expected to emphasise the executive orders he has issued during his first 43 days in office and outline his agenda for the remaining 1,419 days of his presidency.
As he prepares for the Tuesday night speech, he confronts three significant challenges: the looming threat of a government shutdown, increasing tensions surrounding tariff policies, and a growing rift with European allies over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine
Government shutdown looms
With just 11 days remaining until government funding expires, the threat of a government shutdown is becoming increasingly real.
Shifting his stance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is now advocating for a clean continuing resolution (CR) to maintain government operations through September 30, rather than pursuing aggressive budget cuts proposed by Elon Musk’s Doge team.
On Sunday, Johnson said that he wants to pass a “clean” stopgap funding measure to keep federal agencies operating at current spending levels through September and leave proposed cuts for legislation for the next fiscal year.
In a series of television appearances, Johnson clarified that the cuts proposed by billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency — strongly opposed by Democrats — would not be included in a continuing resolution (CR) aimed at preventing a partial government shutdown when current funding runs out on March 14.
“We’re looking to pass a clean CR to freeze funding at current levels to make sure that the government can stay open,” Reuters quoted Johnson as saying to NBC’s Meet the Press.
“We are working hard to do our responsibility to keep the government open. Democrats have to help negotiate this,” he added.
But his comments did not appear to move Congress closer to a deal on government funding, with both Democrats and Republicans pushing back.
“There has been zero outreach from the Trump administration, and House Republicans have walked away from the negotiating table,” Reuters quoted the House of Representatives Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, as saying in a statement on Sunday.
Republicans need Democratic support in the Senate, where their 53-47 majority falls short of the 60-vote margin needed to pass most legislation. In the House, Republicans need only a simple majority to pass a stopgap measure and hold a 218-215 advantage over Democrats.
It was not clear, however, if Republicans can muster the necessary support.
“I am a NO on the CR. Congress needs to do its job and pass a conservative budget! CR’s are code for Continued Rubberstamp of fraud, waste, and abuse,” Republican Representative Tony Gonzales wrote on X.
House Republican Don Bacon also voiced opposition, posting, “A continuing resolution is bad for our military and weakens our national security. A CR means new weapons programs cannot get started. A year-long CR means we are not serious about building a military that will deter China, Russia and Iran.”
On Friday, top Democratic appropriators in the Senate and the House of Representatives said Republicans had raised the risk of a government shutdown by insisting on including cuts made by President Donald Trump administration in legislation for fiscal year 2025, which ends on September 30.
But Johnson said those cuts would be reserved for legislation to fund the government in fiscal year 2026, which begins on October 1.
“We will actually be able to change the way this is done and incorporate all the extraordinary savings that DOGE is uncovering through fraud, waste and abuse, the other revenues that President Trump is bringing about because of his policies,” Johnson told the Fox News programme Sunday Morning Futures.
Jeffries took aim at Republican plans to cut spending for social programmes such as Medicare to pay for Trump’s border and tax-cut agenda. Democrats unanimously opposed a budget blueprint for advancing the Trump agenda that House Republicans barely managed to pass last week.
“There will be no support for partisan legislation that fails to protect the quality of life of the American people,” Jeffries was quoted as saying.
Widening rift with European allies
In addition to domestic pressures, Trump faces a growing divide with European allies, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
A recent confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has highlighted this discord, raising concerns about the stability of transatlantic relations.
As Zelenskyy seeks increased support for Ukraine, Trump’s ambiguous stance on US involvement has frustrated many European leaders, potentially jeopardising future cooperation.
On Monday, Zelenskyy said that he would collaborate with European leaders to establish terms for a potential peace deal to present to the US.
This comes after 18 allied countries gathered in London for a summit, where they pledged increased spending on security and the formation of a coalition to support any truce in Ukraine.
The weekend talks took place during a critical time for Ukraine, which has been battered by war and faces uncertain support from the US amid Russia’s ongoing three-year invasion.
Just days prior, Trump berated Zelenskyy publicly at the White House, raising concerns that he might push Kyiv into a peace agreement favouring Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, European leaders rallied in support of Ukraine, with Zelenskyy saying that the summit cemented their commitment to pursuing peace.
“We need peace, not endless war,” AFP quoted Zelenskyy as saying on Telegram.
“In the near future, all of us in Europe will shape our common positions - the lines we must achieve and the lines we cannot compromise on,” he added. “These positions will be presented to our partners in the United States.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also said that Britain, France, and other allies would collaborate with Ukraine to develop a plan to halt the fighting, which they would then present to Washington.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron, returning from the summit, told Le Figaro that France and Britain aimed to propose a one-month partial truce “in the air, at sea, and regarding energy infrastructure.”
Both Starmer and Macron expressed their willingness to deploy British and French troops to Ukraine to help uphold any truce.
Trump tariffs coming
Adding to the complexity of his situation, Trump is likely to announce a new round of tariffs that could ignite a trade war.
US tariffs on Canada and Mexico will go into effect on Tuesday (March 4), as originally planned.
While earlier reports suggested Trump plans to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, alongside a 10% tariff on goods from China, Trump is yet to determine whether to stick with the original 25% level.
“There are going to be tariffs on Tuesday on Mexico and Canada. Exactly what they are, we’re going to leave that for the president and his team to negotiate,” Fox News quoted America’s commerce secretary Howard Lutnick as saying.
“That is a fluid situation,” Lutnick added.
While these measures may resonate with his political base, business leaders and economists warn of significant repercussions, including retaliatory actions from trading partners that could destabilise global markets.
The 30-day pause on duties for Canada and Mexico, which President Trump tied to illegal border crossings and the flow of fentanyl into the US, is set to expire on March 4.
Lutnick said Canada and Mexico have “done a reasonable job” securing their borders with the US, though the deadly drug fentanyl continues to flow into the country.
He also mentioned that President Trump is expected to raise tariffs on China on Tuesday unless the country ends fentanyl trafficking into the US.
The American commerce secretary’s remarks were the first indication from the Trump administration that it may not impose the full threatened 25% tariffs on all goods from Mexico and non-energy imports from Canada.
With inputs from agencies