Week ahead: Trump to address Congress | Senate to vote on Commerce pick

President Trump will speak to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday evening, his first address from the House chamber.

Trump is expected to share some details about his legislative agenda before the White House is scheduled to release its summary budget proposal on March 13th.

Trump’s White House, like his campaign, has been mum on policy details before putting initiatives into action. Trump’s Tuesday speech is an opportunity to shed more light on the specific ways his administration plans to revamp healthcare and rollback regulations while boosting United States manufacturing and economic growth as the president has promised to do.

Lawmakers and the public will be eagerly looking for clues to Trump’s plans.

On Wednesday, Trump vowed to “clean up” the federal budget, telling reporters he would try to save more of taxpayers’ money, after a meeting with his advisers.

{mosads}And Republicans and business groups will be closely listening for any clues on how Trump will come down on a proposed tax on imports. The so-called border adjustment tax, has faced criticism from retailers and other business groups, but is a key element of a proposed House GOP tax plan.

Trump on Thursday said it could create jobs and that he could support some form of a border tax, though he stopped short of endorsing the GOP measure.

The address to Congress is the centerpiece of what will be a busy week. Lawmakers are returning Monday from weeklong President’s Day break. Facing them is a long six-week gauntlet of deadlines and work as Republicans look to ramp up efforts to repeal and replace ObamaCare and push forward tax reform.

The coming weeks will be crucial for the caucus, with Republicans still divided over their plan for the Affordable Care Act. Further delays to acting on healthcare could also push back consideration of tax reform, an overhaul of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law, supplemental defense spending and infrastructure funding.

Congress is also facing some crucial deadlines for raising the federal debt limit and funding the government.

The U.S. is expected to exceed the maximum legally allowable amount of debt it holds, also called the “debt ceiling,” around March 16. A U.S. default on its debt could trigger an international economic crisis, though Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in his confirmation hearing that he would support raising the debt ceiling in some form.

Funding for the federal government also expires on April 28, giving lawmakers two months to find a way to keep the lights on while they mull major legislative initiatives.

More immediately, the Senate is resuming work on Trump’s nominees. The upper chamber is expected to vote in the coming week to confirm Wilbur Ross as secretary of Commerce. Ross is expected to be confirmed along party lines.

Your week ahead:

Tuesday:

• House Financial Services Committee: Hearing to markup fiscal 2018 budget views and estimates, 10 a.m. http://bit.ly/2lNBRPP.
• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: Members’ Day hearing, 10:30 a.m. http://bit.ly/2lNJy8O.
• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Members’ Day hearing, 1:30 p.m. http://bit.ly/2lNYa7R. 

Wednesday:

• House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies: Members’ Day hearing, 10 a.m. http://bit.ly/2lNNuGx.

Recent stories:

• GOP lawmaker at town hall calls on Trump to release his tax returns, by Max Greenwood
• Trump: House GOP’s plan for border tax could create more jobs, by Naomi Jagoda
• Mnuchin: Stock market ‘absolutely’ Trump admininstration’s economic report card, by Sylvan Lane
• Business group sends Trump list of rules to repeal, by Lydia Wheeler
• Monthly average of jobless claims hits lowest level since 1973, by Vicki Needham
• Mnuchin aiming for tax reform by August, by Naomi Jagoda
• Mnuchin: No decision yet on labeling China a currency manipulator, by Naomi Jagoda
• Warren wants briefing on probe into Trump ally, by Jordain Carney
• Trump: We will clean up the budget, by Olivia Beavers
• Club for Growth launches ad targeting GOP tax writer, by Naomi Jagoda
• Appeals court strikes blow to Fannie, Freddie investors, by Peter Schroeder
• CEOs come to defense of border plan, by Naomi Jagoda

Write us with tips, suggestions and news: slane@digital-staging.thehill.com, vneedham@digital-staging.thehill.com; pschroeder@digital-staging.thehill.com, and njagoda@digital-staging.thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @SylvanLane,  @VickofTheHill; @PeteSchroeder; and @NJagoda.