This episode of Congress in Context examines the high-stakes legislative and ceremonial activities of February 24, 2026, a day culminating in President Donald J. Trump’s fourth State of the Union Address. While the President used his address to a joint session to proclaim the dawn of a "golden age" and a "transformation like no one has ever seen before," the day’s earlier proceedings highlighted a deeply fractured legislature. In the House, debate reached a fever pitch over the passage of the Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act, with Democrats denouncing the session as part of the "most closed Congress" in history for blocking hundreds of amendments and procedural votes on tariff refunds. Meanwhile, the Senate opened with the solemn tradition of reading Washin ...