Commentary: U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) issued the following statement on President Trump’s State of the Union Address:
“The president’s State of the Union speech was an affront to New Mexicans who have watched his administration stack the deck for the wealthy and the special interests while attacking the health care and economic security of working families. President Trump has filled his administration with millionaires and billionaires and lobbyists, pushed through tax cuts for the super-wealthy and big corporations, and presided over historic corruption to benefit himself and his special interest friends.
“After more than three years in the White House, the president’s biggest accomplishment is a massive tax cut for the wealthiest Americans – exploding the deficit and leaving working families behind. Meanwhile, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have worked tirelessly to try and eliminate the Affordable Care Act and take away health care from hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans. And just last week, at a glitzy resort in Switzerland, the president opened the door to cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to pay for tax cuts for the rich. This administration’s priorities are clear: the wealthy and the well-connected get special treatment, while working people pay the price.
“While Democrats in Congress have been working diligently to legislate on New Mexicans’ priorities, Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans, in coordination with the Trump White House, have blocked the Senate from taking action on at least 275 bills passed by the House – including legislation to protect DREAMers, to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, to address gun violence, and to secure our elections from foreign interference.
“The out-of-whack priorities are countless: Instead of working across the aisle to protect people with preexisting conditions and lower the cost of prescription drugs, Trump and the Republican party are trying to rip healthcare away from millions of Americans. Instead of protecting New Mexico’s vital trade economy, President Trump has started reckless trade wars that have jeopardized the jobs of farmers and workers who rely on trade. Instead of acting on climate change, and protecting our air and water, this administration has rolled back nearly 100 environmental protections that keep our communities safe and healthy – each one another give-away to corporate polluters who will put profit before clean air, clean water, and public health. And instead of keeping Americans safe, Trump has pushed us to the brink of a disastrous and illegal war with Iran that the American people do not want while pillaging money from our armed forces to pay for his useless border wall – all while demonizing and targeting immigrants.
“New Mexicans and hardworking families deserve better than a president who promises one thing and instead turns his back on them to line the pockets of his billionaire donor friends, special interests, and insider lobbyists.”