Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree released the following statement on President Trump’s first State of the Union Address. 

President Trump spoke tonight at a very difficult time in the nation’s history—many of our challenges come from his own doing. Despite his calls for unity tonight, his inflammatory, offensive, and racist remarks over the last year have made our nation more divided than ever. His most recent actions—including a reported attempt to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller and not following through on sanctions for Russian interference in the election—shake the very foundation of our democracy. 

His comments tonight didn’t allay the serious concerns I have with his policies either. President Trump bragged about economic growth that started under President Obama, and has actually slowed by many accounts during his first year in office. 

I saw little reason for him to boast tonight. So many important issues are hanging in the balance because of his lack of effective leadership. Thousands of young Dreamers—like my State of the Union guest Christian Castaneda—who want to stay in the only country they’ve truly called home are waiting for action on DACA. Parts of our health-care system are hurting because key federal programs have yet to be reauthorized. We can’t even fund the government for more than a few weeks at a time, leaving us unable to adequately respond to the country’s current needs.

I appreciate hearing from the President about issues where we can indeed find bipartisan agreement, like lowering the cost of prescription drugs, investing in infrastructure, curbing the outsourcing of U.S. jobs, and providing treatment to those suffering from substance abuse. But he has yet to show the ability to make these deals happen in a bipartisan manner. If President Trump truly wants to move these issues forward and unify the country, he needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror and fundamentally change his presidency.