Rep. Soto Response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address
Washington, D.C. –U.S. Rep. Darren Soto issued the following response following President Trump's first State of the Union address to Congress on Jan. 30, 2018:
"President Trump's State of the Union address was yet another display of hollow pledges and divisive rhetoric. At a time when Congress is working on bipartisan efforts to craft a DREAMers –TPS –Border Security deal, Trump's fear-inducing message paints a dangerously inaccurate picture of immigrant communities across the nation. Immigrants are good people, immensely contributing to our country. It is irresponsible, and simply wrong, for the President to categorize all immigrants as criminals and gang members. We cannot accept this false agenda!
"The President failed to address disaster relief in a meaningful way, as Florida Citrus growers are still reeling from Hurricane Irma. Also, the same night the President told Puerto Ricans "we are with you, we love you", his administration discontinued food and water aid to over a million Americans in Puerto Rico who are still suffering. Not only did Trump fail to address the dire situation on the island during the State of the Union, he also failed in the recovery efforts and ultimately has failed Puerto Rico.
"We were pleased to hear about infrastructure, albeit brief and in scant detail, as well as proposals for lower prescription drugs. Yet, President's Trump's self-congratulatory claims on the GOP tax plan were worrisome. The fact is that under this new plan only high-income Americans will receive tax cuts. And while Wall Street is surging, main street faced an unimpressive 2.3% economic growth rate in 2017. The majority of middle-class American families will not receive tax relief. The "forgotten Americans" that the President often refers to, were forgotten in this speech, and that group is present in Central Florida.
"The state of our union is indeed strong, thanks to resilient Americans who continue fighting for opportunities for everyone. Let's not allow the sowing of division and hate from the President to dishearten us. Americans will always rise above."
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