Rep. Payne, Jr. Responds to the 2019 State of the Union

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. issued the following statement in response to President Donald J. Trump’s 2019 State of the Union Address:

“President Trump extolled unity but preached division last night during his State of the Union Address,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10). “The President attacked Congress for exercising its constitutional duty to oversee the executive branch. He drummed up fear of immigrants while offering no real proposals to modernize our nation’s immigration policies. He dangled the threat of another Trump Shutdown over his border wall while ignoring evidence-based border security proposals.

“This year’s State of the Union Address demonstrated that the President lacks self-awareness. Either that or he was attempting to gaslight the American People. Throughout his speech, the President rightfully celebrated the achievements of our nation’s armed forces and service members during World War II, despite his administration’s attempts to dismantle the post-war institutions that have maintained peace for nearly a century. To truly honor the sacrifices made by the Greatest Generation, the President should strengthen NATO rather than undermine our allies in Europe. He should honor international arms agreements and hold nations accountable for their violations rather than pull out of treaties. And he should pursue immigration reform that respects refugees and asylum seekers like those brave people who escaped war-torn Europe for a better life in the United States.

“If President Trump is committed to unity and pursuing bipartisan priorities that benefit the American People, my Democratic colleagues and I are ready to continue our work For the People. I am committed to working toward bipartisan goals, such as a massive investment in America’s infrastructure—particularly the Gateway Project, which is the country’s most pressing infrastructure need. I’m ready to strengthen our electoral system, protect the vote, pass the bipartisan DREAM Act, modernize our immigration policies, protect the Temporary Protected Status program, improve access to high quality health care for all people, create twenty-first-century jobs for a twenty-first-century economy, strengthen our middle class, protect the environment, and make lives better for all people.

“Let’s get to work.”