Rep. Roybal-Allard Statement on State of the Union

Statement

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) issued the following statement after attending the president's State of the Union address at the Capitol tonight:

"The president's speech was extremely disappointing. Despite his remarks to the contrary, his agenda continues to be founded on oppressive, divisive, and destructive policies.

"While the president told many stories with beautiful examples of the courage and patriotism of Americans, his speech was filled with false claims and misinformation, and he failed to give many details or guidance on the goals he laid out to Congress.

"The president talks of unity and conciliation, but unfortunately he has spent the past year ruthlessly dividing our nation, praising white supremacists, and denigrating immigrants, persons of color, and other minorities on a regular basis.

"He makes big promises to the middle class, but has spent the past year selling out American families in order to enrich special interests, corporations that ship jobs overseas, and the very wealthiest Americans.

"He's raising taxes on 86 million middle class families so he can hand massive tax breaks to corporations and the wealthiest one percent.

"He's sabotaging the Affordable Care Act, trying to drive up your health insurance premiums, taking away health care from tens of millions of families, and destroying protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

"He's pushing a mass deportation and anti-immigrant agenda -- he issued his Muslim Ban and repealed DACA in Year One, and now he wants to spend tens of billions of dollars on a wall and cut legal immigration in half.

"Across the board, the results are clear: Donald Trump has given Americans an awful deal. Americans need A Better Deal than he has offered, and they need it now.

"Democrats offer that Better Deal, with Better Jobs, Better Wages, and a Better Future. We support policies that raise wages and incomes, lower the cost of living, and create millions of good-paying, full-time jobs.

"We support investments in infrastructure and research, we fight back against unfair foreign trade practices and outsourcing of American jobs, and we support small businesses and start-ups. We support addressing injustices in our society -- including inequities in health, power, and resources. We support lowering the costs of college and technical education, and getting more employers to invest in workforce training, so that all Americans have the tools they need to succeed in the 21st century.

"Democrats will also keep improving access to affordable health care for all populations, and supporting our vital community health centers. We will ensure that health care is culturally and linguistically appropriate, and we will find comprehensive ways to address health conditions that impact specific communities. We will ensure our communities have the resources they need to combat the scourge of opioids.

"We support comprehensive immigration reform that protects Dreamers, keeps families together, and keeps our country safe. We support disaster funding necessary to heal our California communities devastated by fires and mudslides, and to heal the Southeast and Caribbean U.S. communities battered by hurricanes.

"The president spoke tonight about his support for bipartisanship. I hope that this time, he will keep his word and work with Democrats to give the American people a Better Deal."

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