The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said Trump should be given “deference” when it comes to his tariff agenda. U.S. tariffs took effect today on Mexico and Canada, both at 25 percent, in addition to a 10 percent tariff on Canada’s energy sector. "I think the president has a long view, and he's trying to reset the relationship,” Roy said, without specifying which country he was referring to or if he was talking about U.S. relationships with other countries in general when it comes to trade. “And look, that's not always going to be easy, right?” he continued. Roy went on to say: “When you're going through it, if you're going to apply tariffs to force change, you're going to have to kind of weather that a little bit. “But we've got a lot of work we need to do to reset trade relationships, trade imbalances, reset some of the issues involving the border and border security. And, you know, I'm going to give the president a lot of latitude to do that."

Several Democrat members of Congress have announced their intention to participate in an alternative event in protest of Trump’s speech. Starting at 8:15 p.m. ET, progressive political advocacy group MoveOn will host a Democratic “prebuttal” to the speech featuring Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.). A livestream will follow that, according to Balint, will include “real-time fact-checking” of the president’s remarks. “I attended the inauguration because I believe in the peaceful transfer of power, but Trump spewed lies, stoked division and fear and made no effort to unify our country. There is no doubt tonight’s presidential address will be more of the same,” Balint said in a statement. “My conversation tonight will be the best way I can use my voice for Vermonters.” Balint and Murphy have said they will not attend Trump’s address in person. Markey, however, still plans to attend after the rebuttal. The president’s speech is slated to begin at 9 p.m. ET.

Several Democrat lawmakers are using their plus-one invitations to the president’s congressional address to draw attention to his administration’s recent executive branch layoffs. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), slated to deliver the Democrats’ response to the speech, has invited Marine veteran Andrew Lennox of Ann Arbor, Michigan, as her guest. Lennox was one of more than 1,000 employees recently terminated from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Michael Missal, the VA’s former inspector general, will also attend as Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s (D-Conn.) guest. Missal is one of several fired federal watchdogs suing to get their jobs back. Other recently fired guests will include Jason King, a disabled veteran and former Federal Aviation Administration employee; Doug Kowalewski, a former National Science Foundation worker; Jamie Werner, a former program management specialist at White River National Forest; and Air Force veteran Chris Wicker, who was initially told that he was mistakenly fired from the Small Business Administration, only to have his termination confirmed days later. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who invited Kowalewski, said she hopes to “force Trump to confront the federal workers he fired—the people who make this country run.” The layoffs were made amid the Trump administration’s push to streamline federal operations through its new Department of Government Efficiency. Other groups Democrats will seek to highlight include Medicare recipients, Los Angeles firefighters, small business owners who oppose tariffs, and individuals and families affected by the Israel–Hamas war.