Trump has say, now it’s lawmakers’ turn

Having been forced to delay his State of the Union address by a government shutdown that he precipitated, President Trump seemed as though he might never yield the podium once he got his chance. In a speech that reflected endurance if not eloquence, Trump offered a thin sheen of “unity” over large helpings of the same old polarising demagoguery. “We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions,” he declared. But his speech underscored the need for lawmakers to reclaim Congress’s prerogative on trade, foreign policy and other key issues from an impetuous, drifting president.

Trump termed “calamitous” the decades of trade policies that in fact have helped produce the quality of life Americans enjoy while spreading prosperity around the globe. That is why lawmakers should insist on more oversight of the president’s use of national security as pretext to raise trade barriers.

Congress also could try to make progress on the nation’s greatest challenges, which Trump neglected in his speech as in his governing. He made no mention of climate change. He said nothing about rising wealth inequality, which his tax reform exacerbated. Nor did he discuss the country’s rapidly rising debt. If the health of the union is to improve over the coming year, Congress will have to take the initiative.