Reflecting on Trump’s Disastrous Address to Congress

March 05, 2025

Hello,

This week, President Trump addressed Congress with unfettered hubris and narrow mindedness to deliver what I felt was one of the most disparaging and divisive speeches I’ve ever heard in this institution. His performance and his words may have left many of you feeling troubled, anxious, or angry – and trust me, I’m right there with you. Instead of using his platform to address the countless economic challenges facing Americans, Trump spent nearly two hours promoting his reckless, dangerous plans for the country and spewing lies, hatred, and authoritarian threats.

I know most of my constituents had very strong – and very different – opinions on how I should handle the Joint Address. I ended up going because I wanted Trump to see that there are still many of us in Congress who won’t bend the knee, who will fact-check his lies, and will keep fighting for what’s best for our constituents – not billionaires and the Big Oil machine. But, honestly, it got to a point where I couldn’t stand the B.S. and had to walk out.

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It’s hard to believe it has only been six weeks under this administration, because chaos has been unleashed with millions of lives and vital programs upended – and according to Trump, he’s “just getting started.” Already, thousands have lost their jobs to DOGE nonsense. Millions are on the verge of losing their health care to pay for billionaire tax breaks. Everyone is facing higher prices at the grocery store. And yet Trump didn’t address ANY of these very real, and very important, concerns.

But Trump isn’t the only one to blame – House Republicans rewarded his verbal massacre with standing ovations, applause, and chants. With each sentence Trump uttered, I felt shocked and frustrated as I watched my Republican colleagues drinking the dystopian Kool-Aid. They cheered for the assault on Medicaid and Medicare to pay for billionaire tax breaks, cheered for destroying our planet to prop up Big Oil, and even cheered for dismantling checks and balances that allow us in Congress to stop wannabe dictators Trump from becoming king.

It’s hard not to feel defeated and even hopeless right now. But I want to assure you that my team and I are showing up every day to push back against Trump’s illegal, irresponsible schemes.

  • As Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, we are investigating and highlighting the corruption taking place as Trump guts environmental regulations and fires government regulators to the benefit of polluters.

  • As a Member of the Congressional Litigation and Response Task Force, we are coordinating with states, local governments, and stakeholders to use the Courts to stop the funding freezes to schools, police and fire departments, food banks, and senior centers.

  • And with the House Republicans only holding a two-vote majority, we will continue to use the power of our vote and our unity to fight against MAGA legislation.


To keep up with the work I am doing as your representative, please subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook, Twitter/ X, Instagram, and Threads.

Thank you, and stay well,

Jared Huffman
Member of Congress