• Trump called on Congress to scrap the "horrible" $52 billion CHIPS Act on Tuesday.
• It's not likely to happen. There's little GOP appetite to repeal it, and Democrats like the law.
• Plus, much of the 2022 bill has already been set in motion.

President Donald Trump casually told Congress on Tuesday to scrap a $52 billion bipartisan law designed to supercharge the American semiconductor manufacturing industry.

"Your CHIPS Act is a horrible, horrible thing," Trump said during a joint address to Congress on Tuesday night. "You should get rid of the CHIP Act, and whatever's left over, Mr. Speaker, you should use it to reduce debt, or any other reason you want to."

That landed with a thud among the Republicans who backed the sweeping legislation two and half years ago.

"I have to admit, I was surprised," Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, the Republican co-author of the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, told reporters on Wednesday morning. "It's been one of the greatest successes of our time."

The bill included $39 billion in subsidies for chip manufacturing in the US, plus $13.2 billion for semiconductor research and workforce development. The goal of the legislation was to make the US less reliant on chips manufactured in Taiwan, create US manufacturing jobs, and bolster competition with China — something that was especially important for national security-minded Republicans.

It passed both chambers on a bipartisan basis, garnering the enthusiastic support of then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, plus the support of 16 other GOP senators and virtually all Democrats.

Trump specifically criticized the subsidies, saying that he prefers to bring chip manufacturing to America via tariffs. "They take our money and they don't spend it," the president said.

Just because Trump is asking Congress to repeal the law doesn't mean it will happen — even though Republicans control both chambers and broadly support the president's agenda.

'I'd like to see what he's going to replace it with'

It would take not just unanimous GOP support, but the support of several Democratic senators, to get a repeal bill through the Senate.

For one, Democrats are unlikely to go for it.

"People are already feeling the positive impacts and new economic energy in their towns in every corner of America, from Ohio to Arizona," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. "I do not think the president will find much support in Congress for weakening this legislation."

"I don't know what the hell he's on," Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego, whose home state of Arizona is home to a TSMC plant built with CHIPS Act funding, told BI of Trump.

Even among Republicans, there's a hesitancy to indulge Trump's latest demand.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas defended the bill, saying it "made it possible" for Trump to announce an additional investment by TSMC earlier this week.

Other GOP senators who voted for the CHIPS Act said they want to see more details from Trump before they back repealing the bill.

"I'd like to see what he's going to replace it with," Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters. "I want to bring chip manufacturing here, but if he's got a different way to do it, I'm open-minded."

"If there's a consensus on addressing that problem in a better way, I'm open to suggestions," Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi told BI. "It was the first I'd heard of that proposal."

It's also the case that the part of the CHIPS Act that Trump opposes has already been set in motion over the last few years. Young told reporters that the "chips portion" of the bill "has mostly been implemented," and that he's reached out to the White House to get more clarity on Trump's position.

Before leaving office, the Biden administration allocated more than $33 billion in subsidies to 32 semiconductor manufacturers and suppliers.

To date, 20 companies have secured legally binding agreements, which collectively account for roughly 85% of the total allocated subsidies, Bloomberg reported. However, only about 11% of the allocated subsidies have been doled out so far: Funds are dispersed as companies hit certain benchmarks detailed in the agreements.

In November, a Commerce Department spokesperson told BI that the funding associated with a binding agreement could not be rescinded unless the company failed to comply with the terms of the deal. Absent that, they said rescinding funding would require an act of Congress.

"My expectation is that the administration will continue to support this supply chain resiliency and national security initiative," Young said. "If it needs to transform into a different model over a period of time, I'm certainly open to that."

Gallego argued that Trump's comments could still have an impact on the semiconductor industry, even if legislative repeal doesn't happen.

"If you are a business that's trying to relocate, or ramp up chip supplies in the United States, and you think that there's not going to be money for the CHIPS Act, you may not even start engaging, and you might start looking at other countries," the Arizona Democrat said.

• Rep. Al Green heckled Trump's joint address on Tuesday night.
• The Texas Democrat was eventually booted on the orders of Speaker Mike Johnson.
• Green later told reporters it was "worth it."

For the first time in recent memory, a lawmaker was thrown out of the House chamber during a president's address to a joint session of Congress.

It began mere minutes into President Donald Trump's speech on Tuesday night, when the president spoke about the "mandate" that he'd earned by virtue of his victory in the 2024 election.

Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat known for making theatrical gestures, stood up and began heckling Trump, telling him that he had "no mandate" to make cuts to Medicaid.

Democrats have accused Trump and Republicans of pushing for cuts to the program, which serves lower-income Americans, by virtue of a budget resolution that passed the House last week.

Green's heckling was immediately met with shouting from the Republican side of the aisle, with GOP lawmakers telling the Texas Democrat to sit down and shut up. But Green persisted, eventually leading House Speaker Mike Johnson to direct the House Sergeant at Arms to escort the congressman out of the chamber.

"It's worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up" to Trump, Green told reporters outside the chamber. He added that he was unsure if he'd face any formal punishment.

The Texas Democrat announced last month that he would introduce articles of impeachment against Trump, despite a lack of support from the recent of his caucus.

He made a similar move during the president's first term in office, even forcing three different votes on his impeachment resolution in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Republican lawmakers such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado frequently heckled former President Joe Biden's State of the Union addresses, but they were never removed from the chamber.

• Trump delivered a nearly-two hour address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday.
• He used the moment to celebrate tariffs and the DOGE office's efforts to cut spending.
• The address was at times raucous, with Democratic lawmakers loudly protesting Trump's remarks.

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump made history, delivering the longest presidential address on record to Congress.

Over the course of nearly two hours, Trump touched on a variety of topics, including DOGE, tariffs, tech companies, tax policy, and more.

It wasn't without interruption or protest. A few minutes into Trump's speech, Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas began heckling the president over Medicaid, leading House Speaker Mike Johnson to order security forces to escort the congressman out of the chamber. Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, the top Democrat on the DOGE subcommittee, held a sign declaring, "This is not normal" as Trump walked past her. Other House Democrats displayed signs declaring that "Musk Steals," and dozens left the chamber before the speech ended.

Here are the major takeaways from Trump's speech.

Trump praised Elon Musk — and made it harder to dodge legal questions

Elon Musk had a prime seat for Trump's address. Trump lavished praise on the de facto White House DOGE office leader. His exact phrasing will likely create headaches for the Justice Department.

"I have created the brand new Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, perhaps you've heard of it," Trump said, "which is headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight."

A top White House official recently said in federal court that Musk was neither the DOGE office administrator nor an employee of the group. Instead, the White House has said that Musk is a senior advisor to the president. Instead of Musk, the White House has said Amy Gleason, a veteran US Digital Service employee, is leading the DOGE office as interim administrator.

If Musk is truly the DOGE office's leader, it could open him up to more questions about the extent of his role and the potential conflicts of interest he may have given that Tesla and SpaceX have received billions in federal contracts. As a special government employee, Musk has filed a financial disclosure but it is not required to release it publicly.

Democrats have repeatedly criticized Musk. Some of them held up small signs Tuesday night that said, "Musk steals" while Trump spoke. Others pointed to the world's richest man in jest after Trump declared during his address, "the days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over."

Trump is ready for a trade war, no matter what 'little' adjustments might come

Wall Street is still absorbing the first round of Trump's tariffs. On Tuesday, Trump indicated he's ready to impose tariffs on several other nations, including India, South Korea, Brazil, and the European Union.

"On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Canada, have you heard of them?" Trump said during his speech to Congress. "And countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It's very unfair."

Trump's current tariffs are linked to the White House's frustration with China, Canada, and Mexico's respective handling of the fentanyl crisis. Trump said he will impose additional tariffs on April 2 on agricultural products and other goods to reset global trade.

Earlier Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the US was not in a "trade war but a drug war." Hours before Trump's speech, Lutnick sounded optimistic that the US could reach a tariffs compromise with at least its neighbors. Trump's comments are a reminder that trade will be omnipresent through the president's final term.

The White House has, at times, conceded that Americans might face the effects of tariffs. Trump has long falsely claimed that only foreign nations pay tariffs, but during his address, he said that American farmers — often the target of retaliatory tariffs — might face temporary pain.

"It may be a little bit of an adjustment period," Trump said in his speech Tuesday night.

Big Tech receives big shout-outs after playing nice with Trump

In his speech, Trump name-checked Apple, Oracle, and Softbank for their investments in the US. His comments show that Silicon Valley's playbook to get right with the White House is working.

The president mentioned Apple CEO Tim Cook by name, the type of shout-out that lawmakers and cabinet secretaries used to fight over in major presidential addresses. Cook recently met with Trump at the White House. Soon after, Apple said it would invest $500 billion in the US.

"Tim Cook called me, he said, 'I cannot spend it fast enough,'" Trump said Tuesday night.

This is a notable change from Trump's first term, when the president and Republicans were frequently frustrated with Big Tech. The GOP regularly criticized Meta and other social media companies during the Biden administration. Now, even Mark Zuckerberg is praising Trump.

It isn't all good news for tech. Apple has a lot at stake in a US trade war. Foreign countries, especially China, have also shown that they will put tech in the ringer to retaliate against the White House. Trump is also threatening a bipartisan semiconductor bill that was one of President Joe Biden's biggest achievements.

"Your Chips act is a horrible, horrible thing," Trump said in his speech. "We give hundreds of billions of dollars and it doesn't mean a thing."

MAGA-fest destiny is coming for Greenland

Trump's protectionist trade policies aren't the only return to a bygone American era. He has laid out an expansionist worldview that hearkens back to the manifest destiny of 19th century.

During his speech, Trump reiterated his view that he wants the US to take Greenland, a self-governing territory under control of Denmark. Greenlanders and Danes have repeatedly said Greenland is not for sale.

It didn't stop Trump from promising he'll get the island "one way or another." In the past, Trump has refused to rule out taking Greeland by force.

"We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we're working with everybody involved to try and get it," Trump said during his speech Tuesday. "But we need it really for international world security. And I think we're going to get it one way or the other. We're going to get it. We will keep you safe. We will make you rich."