With President Donald Trump set to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, took to the Senate floor the day before to present an itemization of what he called “one of the worst starts to any presidency in generations — and it’s not even close.”
“There is no comparison for the staggering levels of incompetence and lawlessness coursing through this administration,” Schatz said. “And regular people are paying a steep price.”
In a social media post on Monday, Trump vowed to “tell it like it is” in his first appearance before Congress since reclaiming the White House.
With confusion swirling around daily reports of mass layoffs and drastic spending cuts across the federal landscape and his own approval rating dropping amid his controversial meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and criticism that he has ceded too much power to billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, the president is expected to offer a unifying rationale for his administration’s aggressive policies and a vision for what he hopes to accomplish.
On Monday, Schatz devoted his time on the floor to emphasizing the immediate negative effects the administration’s actions have had on everyday Americans.
“Tomorrow night, the president will try to rewrite his record and recast blame when he addresses Congress,” Schatz said. “I want to go over some of the worst things that he’s done that actually hurt people, because, unless you’re a billionaire, life has gotten harder, not easier, over the last couple of months.”
Schatz opened his list with what he said was the president’s inability to combat inflation and lower the cost of living.
“After specifically promising that he would bring down prices on Day 1, he has gone out of his way to raise them,” Schatz said. “The price of eggs is up 15%. Coffee prices are at record highs. And the price of everything from tomatoes to strawberries to clothes to toys to cars to homes and home building is about to go up starting tomorrow because Trump is picking a needless fight with our largest trading partners. Prices will skyrocket, businesses will be hurt, and people will lose their jobs.”
Trump announced that 25% tariffs would be levied on imports from Mexico and Canada beginning Tuesday. He also announced a 10% tariff on imports from China.
Schatz also criticized Trump on his attempt to freeze funding for federal grants and loans and firing tens of thousands of federal workers, both of which he alleged were illegal.
“These are taxpayer dollars; these are dollars that are appropriated by this branch of government — the Article 1 branch of government,” he said. “So, if you don’t like how appropriated funds are going to be spent, there is a mechanism for an executive branch to do something about it. They can propose a new budget and they can either sign or veto a new appropriations bill.
Schatz further chastised the administration for pandering to billionaires by eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“Tax fraud will skyrocket without proper scrutiny,” he said) and pursuing a $4 trillion tax cut that he said would primarily benefit corporations and the richest Americans.
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.
