make deals. he's learned the importance of compassion this first year and that's something he'll reference when making remarks about immigration, i'm told. >> we just saw the secretary of state rex tillerson coming in shaking hands and it's a the cabinet to be in position before the president comes in. they're all shaking hands and greeting one another. the president also told members at the meeting today that there is tremendous deviciveness in this country. he says if he could unite the country, he would consider it a great achievement. >> members of the president's cabinet making their way in. there will only be four members of the supreme court there as he's a custom to how they show up. three of them are out of town right now. they'll show up and two have chosen not to become a thing.

they've regarded the state of the union as a political event. those two are justice alito. >> we've been watching as they come into the party there. all members are seeing the president's success as he sees it with the economy. there you see the president's family in the chamber. president trump's first year he'll have a lot of controversy as well leading some of the democratic lawmakers to say that they will boycott the speech all together tonight. 13 democrats and three from california are planning to

boycott. >> representative barbara lee. nancy pelosi joining teaable wearing the black rep venting the challenges faced here. her guest tonight, pam, will be a woman whose beneficiary of the daca program. melody born in guatemala and coming here as the guest of nancy tonight. >> a lot of as you mentioned a lot of the members bringing guest that represent. the democrats have been fighting for the dreamers trying to get some kind of immigration legislation passed and that's failed and shut down the government over the

weekend. we're looking at a february 8th dead line. a spending bill will be passed that both sides can agree on. the democrats said that's going to hedge on whether or not they can get something to support the dreamers. >> there's attorney jeff sessions tonight. an interesting side note is the number of daca recipients and dreamers that ascended among the capitol tonight. some of them are in. jeff sessions said they should check i.d.'s at the door and make sure those that are guest tonight are legal. a large group says it's a boycott as the president first addressed the congress last night. it's unusual for members of congress to get the president's speech. >> there's always an

opportunity for opposition to express themselves and tonight that will take place in three ways. joseph p. kennedy the third will deliver his marks as the democratic responds from fall river. the 37-year-old talks about the pope opposing the president's new american moment with what he calls a better deal for all. there's also a response delivered in spanish from the delicate from the virginia house of delicates and i believe maxine waters will be delivering a response also on b.e.t. network. >> a lot of speculation about whether the president will talk about north korea in his address tonight. of course, it's been so many heated exchanges between the leaders of our two countries and the north korean leader and the president's tweets often attacking the north korean leader. him falling back. they've been back and forth for

so long now. there's some speculation as to whether or not he'll talk about the north korean leadership and what the united states may do about that crisis. . >> there's the sergeant welcoming the president into the chamber now. >> this usually takes a while for the president to get to the front of the room as many of the members often not only want to shake hands but take pictures with him. whoever the president is they like to get that shot in while they have a chance. >> we understand that the president and some of his remarks have been shared in advance with the media as is often a practice from the part of the white house they would like to give an opportunity for the media to both take a close look at some of the remarks as they may come but also to help them advance when we have some of those we can share with you.

before doing that, i'll say that the president has been noted to be working on this speech for about a month collaborating with steven miller who is his chief of speech writer and every day giving his own remark and making his improvements as he sees. >> so you mentioned some of the excerpts, what kinds of things are we talking about tonight? >> under the new american moment, he's trying to capture the notion of the successes of his first year, that being the tax reform bill being one and putting more dollars in the pockets of more workers. one of the things he says is since the tax cuts were passed already, 3 million workers got tax cut bonuses. many of them amounting to thousands of dollars per worker in one year. >> there's been speculation on how long the president will address the nation tonight.

certainly, the eyes of the world will be watching this speech as well. mr. trump said many statements over the course of this last year which have rattled a nerve of many of the leaders around the world as to what his intentions are in terms of military and economics. of course, he made his speech saying america the first is not america alone. he's excluding other nations as they look forward to how to build on economy that now is effected by the entire world, of course. >> making a good point in talking about how the focus of america is on this speech as it always is. the eyes of the world always cast a glance towards the united states for the state of

the union. sometimes with more intent than we give it ourselves. they wonder what direction the united states are going to go and certainly, a lot of both of them are allies and our adversaries from paid close attention to the president in the past few years. >> of course, the russia investigation is continuing by special counsel robert mueller as the president makes his address tonight. that's been a thorn in the president's side since the beginning of his administration. he's been upset about the russia investigation and just this week he asking the second in command of the fbi step down tied to the issues of the relation. and the hillery clinton investigation as well. >> the president is getting in position now and taking it all in waving to the crowd and they're about to begin his

speech behind him. vice president pence and paul ryan, speaker of the house. . >> the president we expect will talk about immigration as mentioned and inhave structure and a tough question to ponder is how do we pay for it with the tax cuts doing what they're doing, that takes money out of the treasury and one wonders how that will happen. the.has approaches to say about that and others. >> we present to you the president of the united states. [ applause ] [ applause ]

. members of congress, first lady of the united states and my fellow americans, less than one year has passed since i first stood at this podium and this majestic chamber to speak on behalf of the american people and to address their concerns, hopes and their dreams. that night our new administration had already

taken very swift action. a new type of optimism was already sweeping across our land. each day since we have gone forward with a clear vision and a righteous mission to make america great again for all americans. [ applause ] [ applause ] over the last year we have made incredible progress and achieved extraordinary success. we have faced challenges we expected and others we could never have imagined. we have shared in the heights of victory and the pains of hardship. we have endured floods and

fires and storms. through it all we have seen the beauty of america's sole and the still in america's spine. each test has forged new american heroes to remind us who we are and show us what we can be. we show the volunteers of the cajun navy racing to the rescue of their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a totally devastating hurricane. we saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gun fire on the las vegas strip. we heard tails of americans like ghost guard petty officer ashley leopard here tonight in the gallery with melania. [ applause ]

[ applause ] . ashley was aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in houston during hurricane harvey. 18 hours of wind and rain, ashley braved live power lines and deep water to help save more than 40 lives. ashley, we all thank you. thank you very much. [ applause ] we heard about americans like

firefighter david david. to everyone still recovering in texas, florida, puerto rico and the virgin islands, everywhere. we love you and we're with you and we'll always pull through together. always. [ applause ] [ applause ] thank you to david and the brave people of california, thank you very

much, david. with us tonight is one of the toughest people ever to serve in this house. a guy who took a bullet, almost died and was back to work three and a half months later, the legend from louisiana, congressman steve scalise. [ applause ] i think they like you, steve. [ laughter ] we're incredibly

grateful for the heroic efforts of the capitol police officers, the alexandria police and the lives of many others, some in this room. the aftermath, yes. [ applause ] . in the aftermath of the terrible shooting we came together not as republicans or democrats but as representatives of the people. it is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. tonight i call upon all of us to set aside our differences,

speak outside common ground and deliver community for the people. this is really the key. these are the people we were elected to serve. [ applause ] [ applause ] thank you. over the last year, the world has seen what we always knew. no people on earth are so fearless, daring or determined as americans. if there is a mountain, we climb it. if there's a frontier, we cross it. if there's a challenge, we tame it. if there's an opportunity we

cease it. let's face it the state of the union is strong because our people are strong. [ applause ] together we are building a safe, strong and proud america. since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs including 200 new jobs in manufacturing jobs alone. after years and years after wage stagnation we are finally

seeing rising wages. unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. [ applause ] african american unemployment rate stands at the lowest rate ever recorded. and hispanic american unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history.

[ applause ] small business confident is at an all time high, the stock market has smashed one record after another gaining $8 trillion and more in value in just this short period of time. the great news for americans, 401k, retirement pension and college savings accounts have gone through the roof. just as i promised the american people from this podium 11 months ago we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reform in american history.

[ applause ] . for hardworking americans, we nearly doubled the standard deduction for everyone. [ applause ] now the first $24,000 earned by the married couple is completely tax free.

we also doubled the child tax credit. a family of four making $60,000 will see their tax bill reduced by $2,000 slashing their tax bill in half. in april, this will be the last time you ever fall under the old and very broken system and misdemeanors of americans will have more take home pay starting next month. a lot more.

we eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on americans making less than $50,000 a year forcing them the pay tremendous penalties simply because they couldn't afford government ordered health plans. we repealed the core of the disastrous obamacare. the individual mandate is now gone. [ applause ] . we slashed the business tax rate from 35% all the way down to 21% so american companies can compete and win against

anyone else anywhere in the world. [ applause ] these changes alone are estimated to increase average family income by more than $4,000. a lot of money. [ applause ] small businesses have also received a massive tax cut and reduced 20% of their business income. here tonight are steve stout and sandy cuplinger of stout manufacturing, a small beautiful business in ohio. they just finished the best year in their 20-year history. [ applause ]

[ applause ] . because of tax reform, they are handing out raises, hiring an additional 14 people and expanding into the building next door. good feeling. [ applause ] one of the employees is also with us tonight. corey is an all american worker. he supported himself through high school, lost his job during the 2008 recession and was later hired by stub where he trained to become a welder like many hardworking americans, corey plans to invest his tax cut raise into his new home and his two

daughters education. corey, please stand. [ applause ] and he's a great welder. i was told that he was a great welder. since we passed tax cuts three other workers have got tax bonuses. many of them, thousands and thousands of dollars per worker and it's getting more every month, every week. apple has just announced it plans to invest a total of $350 billion in america and hire another 20,000 workers.

[ applause ] . just a little while ago exon mobile announced a 50 billion- dollar investment in the united states just a little while ago. [ applause ] this in fact is our new american moment. there has never been a better time to start living the american dream. so to every citizen watching at home tonight, no matter where you've been or where you've come from this is your time. when you work hard and believe in yourself and you believe in

anything. together, we can achieve absolutely anything. [ applause ] . tonight i want to talk about what kind of future we're going to have and what kind of a nation we're going to be. all of us together as one team, one people and one american family can do anything. we all share the same home. the same heart, the same destiny and the same great american flag. [ applause ]

together we are rediscovering the american way. in america, we know that safe and family, the motto is in god we trust. [ applause ] and we celebrate our police, our military and our amazing veterans as heroes who deserve

our total and unwaiverring support. [ applause ] here tonight is preston sharp. a 12-year-old boy from california who noticed veterans graves were not marked with flags on veterans day. he decided all by himself to change that and started a movement that has now placed 40,000 flags at the graves of our great heroes. preston, a job well done. [ applause ]

young patriots as americans, i met preston a little while ago and he's something very special. thank you very much. preston is reverence for those who serve our nation and reminds us why we salute our flag and why we put our hands on our hearts for the fledge of allegiance and why we proudly stand the record the national

anthem. [ applause ] [ applause ] . americans love their country and they deserve a government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return. for the last year we have sought to restore the bonds of trust. working with the senate we are appointing judges who are interpreting the constitution. they're appointing more circuit court judges in the history of

our country. [ applause ] we are totally defending our second amendment and have taken historic actions to protect religious liberty. [ applause ] we are serving our brave veterans including giving veterans choice in their health care decisions. [ applause ]

last year congress also passed and i signed the land mark v.a. accountability act. [ applause ] since this massed my administration removed 5,300 employees that failed to give our veterans the care they deserve and love our vets as much as we do. [ applause ]

i will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of which has been my promise to them from the very beginning of this great journey. [ applause ] all americans deserve accountability and respect and that's what we are giving to our wonderful heroes, our veterans. thank you. [ applause ] so tonight i call on congress to empower every cabinet secretary with the authority to reward good workers and do remove federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the american people. [ applause ] [ applause ]

our drive to make washington accountable, we limit nighted more regulations than any administration in the history of our country. [ applause ] we have ended the war on american energy and we have ended the war on beautiful clean cole.

coal. we are now very proudly an exporter of energy to the world. in detroit, i halted government mandates that crippled america's great beautiful auto workers so we can get motor city revving its engines again and that's what's happening. [ applause ] [ applause ] many car companies are now building and expanding plants in the united states, something we haven't seen in decades. chrysler is moving a major plant from mexico to michigan, toyota and mazda are opening up

a plant in alabama, a big one and we haven't seen this in a long time. it's all coming back. very soon auto plants and other plants will be opening up all over our country. this is all news americans are totally unaccustom to hearing. for many years companies and jobs were only leaving us. now they're roaring back and coming back and want to be where the action is and they want to be in the united states of america. that's where they want to be.

[ applause ] [ applause ] exciting progress is happening every single day. to speed access to break through cures and affordable generic drugs, last year the fda approved more new and generic drugs and medical devices than ever before in our country's history. we also believe patience with terminal conditions and illness

should have access to experimental treatment immediately that could potentially save their lives. people who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. i want to give them a chance right here at home. it's time to give them the right to try. [ applause ] one of my priorities is to reduce the price of

prescription drugs. [ applause ] many other countries these drugs cost far less than what we pay in the united states. that's why i directed my administration of high drug prices, one of my top priorities for the year. [ applause ] prices will come down substantially, watch. america has finally turned the page on decades of unpaid trade

deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our jobs and our wealth. the nation has lost its wealth put we're getting it back so fast. the era of economic surrender is totally over. from now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and reciprocal. >> we'll work to get new trade deals and negotiate new ones. they'll be fair. we will protect american workers and american intellectual property through

strong enforcement of our trade rules. as we build industries, it's also time to rebuild infrastructure. [ applause ] america is a nation of builders we built an empire state building in one year. isn't it a disgrace it can take 10 years to get a minor permit approved for the building of a

simple road. i am asking both parties to come together to give us safe, fast, reliable and moderate infrastructure that our economy needs and our people deserve. [ applause ] [ applause ] tonight i'm calling on congress to produce a bill that generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure infestment that our country so desperately needs. every federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with state and local governments and where appropriate tapping into private sector investment to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit and we can do it.

[ applause ] any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval process getting it down to no more than two years and perhaps even one. together, we can reclaim our great building heritage. [ applause ] we will build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways and waterways, all across our land and we will do it with american heart, american hands and american grit. [ applause ]

we want every american to know the dignity of a hard day's work. we want every child to be safe in their home at night and we want every citizen to be proud of this land that we all love so much. we can lift our citizens from welfare to work, from dependence to independence and poverty to prosperity. [ applause ] as tax cuts create new jobs, let's invest in workforce development and let's invest in job training which we need so badly. [ applause ]

. let's open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn their full potential. [ applause ] and let's support families by supporting paid family leave. as americas regains its strength, opportunity must be extended to all citizens. that is why this year we will embark on reforming our prisons to help former inmates who have served their time get a second chance at life.

[ applause ] struggling communities, especially immigrant communities will be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interest of american workers and families. for decades american workers allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities. most tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives. here tonight are two fathers

and two mothers. evelyn rodriguez. freddie and their two teenage daughters were close friends on long island. in september, 2016, on the eve of niece's 16th birthday, such a happy time it should have been, neither of them came home. these two precious girls were brutally murdered while walking together in their hometown. six members of the savage m.s.13 gang have been charged with kayla and niece's murders. many of these gang members took advantage of loopholes in our laws to enter the country as alien minors and wound up in kayla and niece's high school.

evelyn, elizabeth, freddie and robert, tonight everyone in this chamber is praying for you. everyone in america is grieving for you. please stand, thank you very much. [ applause ]

. i want you to know that 320 million hearts are right now breaking for you. [ applause ] for you, we can make sure that other families we feel your pain. they have criminal gangs breaking into your country. we have proposed new legislation that will fix our immigration laws and support our ice and border patrol agents. these are great people. these are great, great people that work so hard in the midst of such danger. so that this can never happen

again. [ applause ] united states is a compassionate nation. we are proud that we do more than any other country anywhere in the world to help the needy, the struggling and the underprivileged all over the world. but as president of the united states my highest loyalty, my greatest compassion, my constant concern is more america's children, america's struggling workers and america's forgotten communities, i want our youth to grow up to achieve great things. i want our poor to have their chance to rise so tonight i am

extending an open hand to work with members of both parties, democrats and republicans to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion and creed. [ applause ] my duty and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber is to defend americans, to protect their safety, their families, their communities and their right to the american dream because americans are dreamers too. [ applause ]

. here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our country, homeland security investigation special agent d. j. getting the dangerous criminals off the streets, at one point they ordered c.j. he did not commend to threats

or fears. he commanded an operation of threats on long island. his team has arrested nearly 400 including 220 m.s.13 gang members. i have to tell you what the border patrol and ice have done. we have sent thousands and thousands of m.s.13 horrible people out of this country or into our prisons so i just want to congratulate you c. j. you're a brave guy. thank you very much. [ applause ] i ask c.j., what's the secret? he said we're just tougher than they are. i like that answer.

[ applause ] now let's get congress to send you and all of the people in this great chamber have to do it, we have no choice, c.j., we're going to send you reinforcements and we're going to send them to you quickly. that's what you do. [ applause ] over the next few weeks we'll be voting on an immigration pact. my administration has met extensively with democrats and republicans to hand craft a bipartisan approach to immigration reform. based on these discussions we presented congress with a detailed proposal that should be supported by both parties as a fair compromise, one where

nobody gets everything they want but where our country gets the critical reforms it needs and must have. [ applause ] here are the four colors of our -- four pillars of our plan. the first pillar generously offers a path to citizenship. for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who are brought here by their parents at a young age, that covers almost three times more people than the previous administration covered. [ applause ] under our plan, those who meet education and

work requirements and show good moral character will be able to become full saids of the united states over a 12-year period. the second pillar fully secures the border. the second is just securing the border. [ applause ] that means building a great wall on the southern border and it means hiring more heroes like c.j. to keep our communities safe.

crucially, our plan closes the terrible loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorist to enter our country and it finally ends the horrible and dangerous practice of catch and release. [ applause ] . the third pillar ends the visa lottery. it hands out green cards for the skill, merit or safety of american people. [ applause ] it's time to begin moving towards a merit based immigration system. one that admits people who are

skilled, who want to work and love and respect our country. [ applause ] the forth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by ending chain migration. [ applause ] under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in unlimited numbers of distant relatives. under our plan we focus on the immediate family