“In his State of the Union address tonight, President Trump leaned on falsehoods and fear to obscure the reality of a presidency lacking in leadership and harmful to America’s future.  Nothing in the substance of his remarks indicates that he will change course away from domestic policies that make it harder for our people to attain real economic security or foreign policies that embolden our adversaries and undermine our alliances.  His words and his deeds continue to make the state of our union more divided and less adherent to the values and principles upon which it was founded. 

“With our new Majority, House Democrats will move forward on the American people’s priorities.  We are ready and willing to work with the President and with Congressional Republicans to enact the agenda that the American people endorsed in the recent election.  But we will not wait.  In the weeks and months ahead, Democrats will bring to the House Floor legislation to put government back in the hands of the American people and make it more transparent and accountable.  We will work to expand economic opportunity so that all our people can make it in America, and we will defend the Affordable Care Act while working to bring down health care costs. We will bring forward measures to safeguard and expand voting rights, prevent deadly mass shootings, and protect DREAMers. 

“The state of our union will always be strong as long as the American people meet challenge with fortitude, and our future will always bend toward greatness when our people choose unity over division.  We must build on that foundation by making our union stronger, safer, more just, and one that offers opportunities to its people once more.”