U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, said the nation is in crisis and the American dream further and further out of reach as a result President Donald Trump.
That message was part of her response to Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.
The congresswoman from Western Pennsylvania spoke on behalf of the Working Families Party.
The party describes itself as a “multiracial party that fights for workers over bosses and people over the powerful.” It says it is building its party on top of the two-party system in the United States.
This is the ninth annual response to the State of the Union Address for the Working Families Party.
“I’m proud to be part of a movement that is built for and by the people,” Lee said. “Let’s start with a simple truth. What we are witnessing from our government is authoritarianism. Any response that doesn’t acknowledge that truth is a disservice to Americans who deserve and need honesty right now.”
Lee said Trump is gas lighting the American people and bringing the country to the brink of war in the Middle East and South America, among other negative things.
“He wants to convince working families that we’re better off under his regime, but we know the truth,” Lee said. “Our country is in crisis. For millions of Americans, affordability is out of reach. Trump has driven up the unemployment rate, cutting thousands of federal jobs across the country. Everything he does is making Americans less safe at home and abroad.”
Lee touched on recent actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as well as the FBI, tariffs and cutbacks to environmental protection.
“The State of the Union is dire,” Lee said. We can’t afford to believe Trump’s lies and we have to pay attention to his actions. This is not a normal time and our response to it can’t be politics as usual.”
Her full response is available at workingfamilies.org.
Lee boycotted the State of the Union address and also spoke at the People’s State of the Union on the National Mall. The event was hosted by MoveOn and partner organizations.
Lee was one of multiple speakers who took to the podium at the rally.
The Democratic Party also is delivering a response to the president’s address. It chose Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, regarded by many as a centrist or moderate Democrat, to deliver its response.
