Via the Associated Press...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Heralding a "new chapter of American greatness," President Donald Trump issued a broad call for overhauling the nation's health care system and significantly boosting military spending Tuesday night, swapping his trademark pugnaciousness and personal insults for a more restrained tone as he addressed Congress for the first time.
In an appeal to American optimism, Trump declared, "The time for small thinking is over." Still, he employed dark language to describe the threat posed by "radical Islamic terrorism" - a term his own national security adviser rejects as inflammatory - and warned against "reckless" and "uncontrolled entry" of refugees and immigrants from countries with ties to extremist groups.
Trump's overall message on immigration, one of his signature campaign issues, was unexpectedly mixed. He said he believed that "real and positive immigration reform is possible" and had suggested to news anchors earlier that he was open to legislation that could provide a pathway to legal status for some of the millions of people living in the U.S. illegally.
In his hour-long address, Trump defended his early actions in office and ignored the missteps that have set even his allies in Washington on edge. He outlined a populist agenda centered on promises to compel companies to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. He was unusually measured and embraced the pomp and tradition of a presidential address to Congress.
The president was greeted by enthusiastic applause as he entered the House chamber, though it was filled with Democrats who vigorously oppose his policies and many Republicans who never expected him to be elected. Most Republican lawmakers have rallied around him since the election, hopeful that he will act on the domestic priorities they saw blocked during President Barack Obama's eight years in office.
Topping that list is undoing Obama's signature health care law and replacing the sweeping measure. Trump offered a basic blueprint of his priorities, including ensuring that those with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage, allowing people to buy insurance across state lines and offering tax credits and expanded health savings accounts to help Americans purchase coverage. He suggested he would get rid of the current law's requirement that all Americans carry insurance coverage, saying that "mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America."
Making a direct appeal for bipartisanship, Trump turned to Democrats and said, "Why not join forces to finally get the job done and get it done right?"
Democrats, now firmly ensconced in the minority, sat silently while Republicans stood and cheered. Some wore blue, pro-health care buttons that read "Protect our care," and dozens of Democratic women wore white in honor of the suffrage movement.
Photo courtesy of Fox News.
For more on this story, visit AP.org.