Welcome to the Breitbart News Livewire of President Donald Trump’s first address to a Joint Session of Congress. The president will address the nation at 9:00 pm eastern from the Hall of the House of Representatives, where he is expected to lay out a broad vision of his administration’s agenda.

Topics he’s expected to address include Obamacare, immigration, the border wall, his budget, military buildup, veteran affairs, national security, trade, jobs/the economy, education, and law enforcement. He’ll touch on the same themes that propelled him to the White House. Look for an emphasis on America First — with the phrase “buy American and hire American” as his administration’s policy lodestar.

Capitol Hill is looking for any indication of Trump’s preference on the various Obamacare replacement proposals. Politico, however, reports that Trump is unlikely to embrace any specific plan. Breitbart’s Sean Moran offers a primer on the various Obamacare replacement plans.

Trump’s budget is also being hotly debated. Jonathan Swan at Axios reports that Trump is not expected to explicitly endorse Speaker Paul Ryan’s border adjustment tax tonight, which, Swan reports, Trump’s team is “divided on. The nationalist wing of the White House — led by Steve Bannon — supports the plan to raise $1 trillion by hiking taxes on imports. Officials closer to corporate America, including top economic advisor Gary Cohn and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, are said to be deeply skeptical.” Ryan wants the border adjustment tax to offset any Trump tax cut proposal. Swan has updated his initial story to note the White House talking points about the address state: “We must have fair trade for our workers – foreign countries can no longer be allowed to tax our exports while shipping goods into our country for free.” This language might suggest an openness to the border adjustment tax concept or simply signal a willingness to use tariffs.

The issue of the budget is also expected to be contentious in the coming weeks with Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) declaring the president’s budget “dead on arrival” because of Trump’s proposed cuts to the State Department budget.

Meanwhile, there are also reports  that Trump might be open to “an immigration bill as long as there is compromise on both sides.” As Breitbart’s Neil Munro points out, take these reports with a grain of salt until further details of such a deal are hashed out.

We can also expect the usual D.C. partisan drama tonight. Some Democrat lawmakers are boycotting the address, including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA). Others are bringing illegal immigrants with them as their guests. First Lady Melania Trump’s guests, on the other hand, reportedly include Jessica Davis, Susan Oliver, and Jamiel Shaw, Sr. — each of whom lost loved ones to illegal immigrant criminals.

Stay with us throughout the evening as we offer live updates. All times eastern.

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8:42 pm — An excerpt of the president’s speech, released by the White House press office, is as follows:

“Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice – in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present.

And we’ve spent trillions of dollars overseas, while our infrastructure at home has so badly crumbled.

We have begun to drain the swamp of government corruption by imposing a 5-year ban on lobbying by Executive Branch Officials – and a lifetime ban on becoming lobbyists for a foreign government.

By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions of dollars, and make our communities safer for everyone.

As promised, I directed the Department of Defense to develop a plan to demolish and destroy ISIS – a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women, and children of all faiths and beliefs.

We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim World, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.

But to accomplish our goals at home and abroad, we must restart the engine of the American economy – making it easier for companies to do business in the United States, and much harder for companies to leave.

My economic team is developing historic tax reform that will reduce the tax rate on our companies so they can compete and thrive anywhere and with anyone.

At the same time, we will provide massive tax relief for the middle class.

Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare, with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better Healthcare.

Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America.

The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we will do.

Obamacare is collapsing – and we must act decisively to protect all Americans. Action is not a choice – it is a necessity.

So I am calling on all Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work with us to save Americans from this imploding Obamacare disaster.

My administration wants to work with members in both parties to make childcare accessible and affordable, to help ensure new parents have paid family leave, to invest inwomen’s health, and to promote clean air and clear water, and to rebuild our military and our infrastructure.

True love for our people requires us to find common ground, to advance the common good, and to cooperate on behalf of every American child who deserves a brighter future.

Today is Rare Disease Day, and joining us in the gallery is a Rare Disease Survivor, Megan Crowley. Megan was diagnosed with Pompe Disease, a rare and serious illness when she was 15 months old. She was not expected to live past 5.

On receiving this news, Megan’s dad, John, fought with everything he had to save the life of his precious child. He founded a company to look for a cure, and helped develop the drug that saved Megan’s life. Today she is 20 years old—and a sophomore at Notre Dame. Megan’s story is about the unbounded power of a father’s love for a daughter.

Finally, to keep America sSafe we must provide the men and women of the United States Military with the tools they need to prevent war and – if they must – TO FIGHT AND TO WIN.

I am sending Congress a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates the defense sequester, and calls for one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.

My budget will also increase funding for our veterans. Our Veterans have delivered for this nation – and now we must deliver for them.

The challenges we face as a nation are great.

But our people are even greater.

And none are greater or braver than those who fight for America in uniform.

But we know that America is better off, when there is less conflict — not more.

We must learn from the mistakes of the past – we have seen the war and destruction that have raged across our world.

The only long-term solution for these humanitarian disasters is to create the conditions where displaced persons can safely return home and begin the long process of rebuilding.

America is willing to find new friends, and to forge new partnerships, where shared interests align.

Think of the marvels we can achieve if we simply set free the dreams of our people.

Cures to illnesses that have always plagued us are not too much to hope.

American footprints on distant worlds are not too big a dream.

Millions lifted from welfare to work is not too much to expect.

And streets where mothers are safe from fear—schools where children learn in peace—and jobs where Americans prosper and grow—are not too much to ask.

When we have all of this, we will have made America greater than ever before.

The time for small thinking is over.

The time for trivial fights is behind us.

We just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts.

The bravery to express the hopes that stir our souls.

And the confidence to turn those hopes and dreams to action.

From now on, America will be empowered by our aspirations – not burdened by our fears.”

8:35 pm — Breitbart’s Adelle Nazarian reports on the events at the anti-Trump protest tonight:

Approximately 300 progressives braved the rain Tuesday evening to attend a rally resisting President Donald Trump ahead of his first joint address to Congress. Speakers from the event included the ACLU, DailyKos, Food & Water Watch, MoveOn.org, Our Revolution, National Nurses United, and others. 

Rosie O’Donnell also headlined the event where she called for continued resistance against the president. 

Rosie-ODonnell-WH-protest-2-28-17

O’Donnell read from the Declaration of Independence, saying, “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government.” She added, “That is why we are here.” 

“This is not Russia. To Donald Trump and his pathetic band of white, privileged criminal businessmen, I would like to say to him, ‘Nyet! Sir, nyet! nyet! nyet! nyet!’”

“No we won’t. We have seen what you have done, sir. We have seen your connection with Russia. The game is over. The Internet rules,” O’Donnell said. 

She added, “He lies! He lies! He lies! He lies!” O’Donnell chanted, until several other women in the crowd repeated her words.

“And it’s about time they all started saying that, instead of it appears as if he hasn’t been speaking the truth. Cut it down to the least-common-denominator like he does,” she said, later adding that they were going to go “down and dirty like Donald Trump.”

“You know what the truth is? A very handsome conservative man stopped me on my way up with his iPhone, to ask me with his very charming, Irish, 30-year-old face, if George Soros has paid me to come here. And I said, ‘Sir I have never met George Soros, but he seems like a lovely man. One day I’d like to share a souvlaki with him.’”

She said she’s only met Trump twice. One at his wedding to Marla Maples where she said Trump “shook the hands of the guests at the wedding as he walked down the aisle to take his vows. Warning! Warning! Warning Will Robinson!” O’Donnell said. 

She added, “we will get him out! Thank you, peace and don’t fear the rain.”

8:19 pm — 

8:18 pm — 

Per Fox News’ John Roberts, excerpts from Trump’s speech show the president will focus on a broad array of issues. “My budget will also increase funding for our veterans. Our veterans have delivered for this nation and now we must deliver for them,” the president will say, per Roberts.

“We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside of America. We cannot allow our nation to become a sanctuary for extremists,” Trump will also say.

On Obamacare, per Roberts, Trump will say: “Tonight I’m also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs and at the same time provide better health care.”

The president will also call for stronger immigration enforcement. “By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions of dollars and make our communities safer for everyone,” President Trump will say, according to Fox’s Roberts.

8:07 pm — Some speech excerpts trickling out already, including excerpts from the Democrats’ response to Trump’s address. There seems to be some dispute as to how long the speech is expected to run.

8:00 pm — Breitbart’s Adelle Nazarian and Lee Stranahan reported from the scene of the anti-Trump protest led by Rosie O’Donnell that took place at Lafayette Park in D.C. across from the White House.

Stranahan notes that some of the signs on display at the protest were provided by MoveOn.org (note the writing on the bottom right of the sign):

MoveOn Sign Protest 2-28-17

 

 

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