In this Jan. 30, 2018, file photo President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington. The State of the Union address puts the president, his Cabinet, members of Congress, military leaders, top diplomats and Supreme Court justices all in the same place at the same time for all the world to see. Protecting everyone requires months of planning and coordination involving multiple law enforcement agencies, led by the U.S. Secret Service.

On the day of President Donald Trump's State of the Union Address, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa, stressed the longterm damages caused by the partial government shutdown.

Speaking during a conference call with members of the media Tuesday morning, Casey said, “The president tonight should say very specifically that as long as, 'I'm President of the United States I will do everything in my power to prevent anymore shutdowns.'”

Trump's address to the nation was originally scheduled Jan. 29, but was canceled after newly selected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Ca, cited safety concerns amidst the government shutdown.

In Casey's phone conference, he said about Trump, “He should make it very clear that he as president will act to make sure that every federal worker (who) was adversely impacted be made whole.”

“So, that's more than back pay,” Casey said. “That means they might have trouble paying bills and had their credit rating affected.”

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa, held a separate conference call that day.

“We're expecting him to address this standoff on the budget,” he said. “The president has a very strong case for physical, border security.

“This newly invented notion by the speaker that all of a sudden in the history that I know of that it is no longer acceptable to have a wall at our border. That it somehow became immoral when President Trump was sworn in, I suppose, or maybe a few months ago. But it's absurd. Obviously a wall is a component of a meaningful border security system and that's what the president is asking for.

“I think the president should indicate a willingness to compromise on the amount and maybe the timing, but it's ridiculous to think that suddenly we can no longer enhance the border security after four consecutive presidents — two Democrats, two Republicans — all adding to the wall.”

Toomey also hoped that Trump would address foreign policy issues, including the withdrawal of American troops from Syria, negotiations with North Korea and trade talks with China. Casey hoped Trump would talk about investing in the country's infrastructure. He also said that it's a longshot, but he wants Trump to announce a “tax cut for the middle class, paid for by the top 1 percent.”

He continued, saying that Trump should say, “The Republicans should not have given you a big break in 2017 because since Ronald Reagan, no Americans have done better than the top 1 percent with tax breaks. They've gotten plenty. They've gotten enough.”

As is customary with the State of the Union, attendants can bring a guest. Casey said he would bring Monica Hughes, a Pittsburgh Transportation Security Administration officer who went without pay during the shutdown. Toomey will bring a friend from the Lehigh Valley.

Pick up Wednesday's Butler Eagle to subscribe to butlereagle.com to read our coverage of the address.