Local Politicians Weigh In On Upcoming State Of The Union Address

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – President Donald Trump will deliver his state of the union address on Tuesday night to a politically divided Congress.

And it comes as no surprise that expectations for his remarks break down along partisan lines.

The State of the Union address often sounds the same.

But nothing is certain with President Trump.

And now, a woman, Nancy Pelosi, is back in the Speaker's chair for the first time since the early Barack Obama years.

House Democrats like U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle of Forest Hills are skeptical the President can say much that can be trusted.

"He's had a habit in the past of saying things that sound good and then the next day changing his mind, so I hope he says things that are unifying tonight and I hope he sticks to them," Doyle told KDKA on Tuesday.

But U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, hopes Trump stays positive and celebrates the economy.

"This is the best economy of my adult lifetime, and it didn't happen by accident," he said.

Toomey says Trump and Republicans should take credit.

"Economic growth has surged," Toomey said. "Job creation's gone through the roof. The unemployment rate has dropped through the floor. We have record low unemployment for African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Wages are rising at a rate faster than inflation.

"This is a great story."

Of course, hanging over the address is the government shutdown, which the President threatened to resume on Feb. 15 if Congress doesn't approve funding for a border wall with Mexico.

"Hope he would start with a pledge that as President he wouldn't allow or participate in another government shutdown," said U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat.

With Penn Hills TSA officer Monica Hughes his guest for the address, Casey said he hopes the President is aware that affected government employees are in the audience.

"I hope that he will not only be aware but he will take in and learn about the adverse impact on these families," Casey said.

One point of agreement -- honoring the Tree of Life survivors and first responders.

Pittsburgh SWAT officer Timothy Matson is an invited guest.

"I think you're going to see some mention of that in the President's speech, which would be nice for him to comment on that," Doyle said.