Trump uses State of the Union to call for end of DHS shutdown, declares ‘war on fraud’

Unlike in his 2025 address to Congress, President Donald Trump did not significantly discuss federal workforce issues over his roughly two-hour long State of the Union on Tuesday night. 

He did, however, use the speech to call on congressional Democrats to end the funding lapse for the Homeland Security Department. The limited shutdown began on Feb. 14 due to disagreements between the parties on reforms to immigration enforcement following the killings of protestors by DHS agents. 

“Tonight, I'm demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for the border security, homeland security of the United States, and also for helping people clean up their snow,” the president said. 

Trump also declared a “war on fraud” to be led by Vice President JD Vance. Combatting fraud in government programs has been a priority of the second Trump administration since its start. 

The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, however, fell far short of its goal to find trillions in savings for the government, and multiple analyses found that DOGE overstated and miscalculated its savings. 

Some experts also have accused the administration of weakening fraud prevention by making false claims and removing government watchdogs. 

The president announced in the speech that in 2027 his administration would make the type of retirement account for federal employees, presumably a reference to thrift savings plans, available to the broader public due to many Americans not having access to 401(k) accounts. He said that the government would match contributions up to $1,000.  

Trump also referenced his administration’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which has impacted federal employees, deregulatory agenda and deployments of federal agents across the country to combat crime.  

The president touted $1,776 payments made in December to troops called “warrior dividends.” Trump said the money came from tariffs, but Defense One was the first to report that the funding came from housing allowances for service members. 

Throughout the speech, Trump leveled several direct criticisms of congressional Democrats, at one point calling them “crazy” for not agreeing with his policies. The State of the Union also was occasionally interrupted by Democratic protests.