Trump: ‘America-First’ Policies Are Resulting in New Investments

President Donald Trump, who is on track to have one of the busiest first 100 days of a presidential term in recent memory, gave a joint address to Congress on March 4, saying that his administration’s “America-first” policies are already paying dividends.

Those policies include tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico that were imposed or raised on the day of the address. However, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that same day that compromise deals on the tariffs with Canada and Mexico “probably” will come soon, reported CNBC. On March 5, tariffs on cars from Canada and Mexico were delayed by a month, CNN said. And on March 6, the tariffs were postponed for a month on goods meeting the free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

But Trump touted the tariffs and said more are on the way. 

“If you don’t make your product in America, however, under the Trump administration, you’ll pay a tariff and, in some cases, a rather large one,” Trump said. “Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries.” 

On April 2, he said, reciprocal tariffs will kick in: The U.S. will tariff any countries that tariff the U.S.

Trump said that “thanks to our ‘America-first’ policies we’re putting into place, we have had $1.7 trillion of new investment in America in just the past few weeks.” 

Companies he highlighted as making significant investments in U.S. operations include:

• Apple. 
• OpenAI and Oracle.
• SoftBank.
• Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

The president also called for no taxes on tips, overtime, or Social Security benefits for seniors. 

He noted that over the past six weeks, he has signed nearly 100 executive orders and taken more than 400 executive actions — characterizing this as “a record to restore common sense, safety, optimism, and wealth.”

Trump highlighted his efforts to deregulate, such as directing that 10 old regulations must be eliminated by a federal agency for each new regulation it adds.

Inclusion and diversity were touched upon as well. “We’ve ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI] policies,” Trump said.. “Our country will be woke no longer. We believe that, whether you are a doctor, an accountant, a lawyer, or an air traffic controller, you should be hired and promoted based on skill and competence — not race or gender.”

Trump also noted that he signed an executive order making English the official language of the U.S. 

He promised to balance the federal budget. And Trump said his proposed “gold card”  — which, for $5 million will allow a path to U.S. citizenship for “the most successful job-creating people from all over the world” — will help reduce the nation’s debt.

He highlighted the order to all federal workers to return to the office or else lose their jobs. As for shrinking the federal workforce, Trump said, “Americans have given us a mandate for bold and profound change. For nearly 100 years, the federal bureaucracy has grown until it has crushed our freedoms, ballooned our deficits, and held back America’s potential in every possible way.” 

“The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over,” he added.

The president also emphasized the importance of securing the nation’s borders, describing his administration’s efforts as “the most sweeping border and immigration crackdown in American history.” 

Trump asked for a new crime bill to punish repeat offenders more severely while enhancing protections for police officers. 

He also called for the establishment of an office of shipbuilding to help revive the U.S. shipbuilding industry.

“With God’s help over the next four years, we are going to lead this nation even higher, and we are going to forge the freest, most advanced, most dynamic, and most dominant civilization ever to exist on the face of this earth,” Trump said. “We are going to create the highest quality of life, build the safest and wealthiest and healthiest and most vital communities anywhere in the world.”

Democratic Response 

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., delivered the Democrats’ response to the president’s speech, saying, “Grocery and home prices are going up.” Tariffs would make inflation worse, she predicted. 

If the president isn’t careful, “he could walk us right into a recession,” Slotkin said. 

In his effort to balance the federal budget, the president might chip away at Social Security, she said: “The president claims he won’t, but Elon Musk just called Social Security ‘the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.’ ”

Slotkin criticized Musk’s role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, saying there was no oversight and adding, “Change doesn’t need to be chaotic or make us less safe.” 

A secure border is needed in tandem with a functional immigration system, she said, “that allows vetted people to come and work here legally.” Slotkin added that she looks forward to the president’s plan to enable that.

Democracy is at risk when the president “tells certain people they shouldn’t be included,” Slotkin said.

SHRM’s Legislative Priorities

Following Trump’s joint address to Congress, SHRM sent the president and Congress an open letter, and reiterated its legislative agenda: 

• Closing the workforce participation gap.
• Shaping the future of work.
• Modernizing pivotal workplace policies.

“We have the opportunity to prioritize productivity and flexibility, displacement and reskilling, mental health, and physical health,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, president and chief executive officer of SHRM. “Too many workers lack the skills needed for the jobs that power our economy.” 

He called for investing in upskilling and reskilling efforts and education reform. “We need policies that address AI-driven job displacement and the growing skills gap,” Taylor said.

As for the future of work, Taylor called on Congress to modernize key workplace laws to reflect current workforce realities and address “a confusing patchwork of regulations.”

“Updating our workplace policies doesn’t mean rolling back protections,” said Emily M. Dickens, J.D., chief of staff, head of government affairs, and corporate secretary for SHRM. “It means making sure policies are clear, consistent, and focus on compliance-oriented measures for work for today’s workforce and economy. SHRM stands ready to help update cornerstone laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act.”

Dickens called on SHRM members to make their voices heard as part of the SHRM Advocacy Team — the A-Team.  

“This is your opportunity to be more than a bystander,” she said. “We need your voice at the table.”

Takeaways

Employers have a number of potential action items from both from the president’s address to Congress and his executive orders and actions thus far, among them:

• Continue reviewing inclusion and diversity programs to ensure compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Title VII, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), and religion. 
• Identify whether state requirements, such as state affirmative action mandates, remain in effect. These might become more vigorously enforced following the revocation of Executive Order 11246.
• Continue tracking the litigation that has temporarily blocked some of the DEI executive orders, including the termination of federal contracts for violating the order, a new certification requirement, and enforcement provisions applying to private companies.
• Assess whether relocating or adding more operations to the U.S. is feasible. 
• Consider whether there are new recruiting and hiring opportunities as a result of the shrinking of the federal government. 
• Get more involved as part of the SHRM A-Team to help shape the future of work.