Dear Friends:
It’s State of the Union day, and communications staffers across the Hill are busy pre-writing their bosses’ reactions to the President’s speech. While congressional Republicans may not be in total lockstep with President Trump’s agenda, tonight’s address could still shape some of the major legislative activity for the remainder of the 119th Congress. Members will be listening for more details about possible military action in Iran, the future of tariff policy, the standoff over DHS funding, and how the President aims to address affordability concerns and sell the public on the benefits of last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Another item President Trump is likely to tout tonight is his administration’s plan to request a whopping $1.5 trillion for Fiscal Year 2027 defense funding. GAI Fellow Katina Slavkova writes this month with an insightful look at the context surrounding this request, and offers her assessment of its likely path through Congress.
In keeping with today’s defense theme, I’m excited to share that we’re creating a new class for the defense and national security community, the Defense Congressional Operations Seminar. This class will follow the format of our beloved Congressional Operations Seminar, with content tailored specifically for military or civilian DoD personnel, defense industry representatives, and other national security professionals. We’re thrilled to be offering this training for the first time on June 1-4 on Capitol Hill. I hope you’ll sign up, spread the word or get in touch for more information.
All the best,
Kristin
