Leader Pelosi Prebuttal to President Trump’s Speech to Joint Session of Congress

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., issued the following news release:

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to offer a prebuttal to President Trump's address to a Joint Session of Congress at a National Press Club Newsmaker news conference. Below are the Leader's opening remarks, as delivered:

"Thank you very much, Jeff [Ballou]. Thank you and congratulations to you for your election as President of the historic National Press Club. Thank you, Jonathan [Salant], for arranging all of this.

"It is an honor to be here with Chuck Schumer - when he will be here momentarily - the newly-elected Leader of the Senate Democrats, newly re-elected Member of the Senate from his state of New York. He comes with the confidence of his colleagues and the enthusiastic support of his constituents. You'll tell him that I said that, right? When we gets here.

"So tomorrow, 40 days into his Administration, President Trump will deliver his first address to a Joint Session of Congress. As we are reminded every time the President or anyone from his Administration speaks to the American people - dealing with this Administration demands that we stand up for the facts.

"And the facts are these: On January 20th 2009, in the middle of the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression, President Obama in his Inaugural Address, called for swift, bold action now - to create jobs and lay a new foundation for growth.

"One week and one day later, the Democratic House passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). One week after that, the Senate passed the bill. And on February 17th, President Obama signed the ARRA into law, four weeks from his Inauguration. He had already signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and S-CHIP reauthorization, and made other progress, as well. Four weeks into his Administration.

"By the time - a few days later, February 24th - when he made his first address to a Joint Session of Congress, he could report on [what] he asked for at his Inauguration, what he had already accomplished - creating or saving four million jobs, and so much else.

"We're not allowed to applaud here, Chuck, but if we [were], we would be applauding for you right now. Welcome. I talked about you already.

"But at that Joint Address, President Obama could report on historic progress made on creating jobs, a bold commitment to education, innovation, clean energy and rebuilding America's infrastructure.

"Tomorrow, 40 days after his Inauguration, President Trump and the Republican Congress still have not lifted a finger to create jobs or raise wages for hard-working American families. Instead, the President has put Wall Street First. He has tried to Make America Sick Again. He has instilled fear in communities across America. And he's allowed Russia's grip on his Administration to jeopardize our national security and undermine our democracy.

"Putting Wall Street First, the Republican Congress and Trump Administration moved quickly to enable profiteering by his Wall Street friends - at the expense of hard-working Americans.

"Just two weeks into his Administration, President Trump acted to unravel the Dodd-Frank reforms, putting Main Street back at the mercy of Wall Street. On the same day, he eliminated the rule that financial advisors act in the best interests of their clients - and House Republicans have also made it harder for 60 million Americans to save for retirement.

"These actions will worsen the conditions that fueled his candidacy. President Trump is engaged in a 'bait and switch' agenda: no jobs. No retirement security. And no health security either.

"Instead of acting on jobs, Republicans will Make America Sick Again - declaring all-out war on affordable health care, from the Affordable Care Act, to Medicare and Medicaid; all of which are now wed.

"Affordable [Care Act] has had transformational success in expanding coverage, improving benefits, and lowering costs. It extended the life of the Medicare Trust fund, lowered prescription drug costs for seniors and provided free preventative care - keeping seniors healthier.

"It also expanded Medicaid - now a vital tool in the fight against the opioid epidemic and a major funder of seniors in nursing homes - or even, who go there for daycare. As Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich said, 'Thank God we expanded Medicaid, because that Medicaid money is helping to rehab people.'

"More than 20 million previously uninsured Americans now have coverage. And under the ACA, the 155 million Americans who get their insurance through their employer cannot be denied coverage for pre-existing conditions, are now protected from lifetime limits on care, their children can now stay on their policy until age 26, and being a woman is no-longer a pre-existing medical condition.

"Republicans seek to dismantle all this progress. Picture this: Republicans will give each of the wealthiest 400 families in America a $7 million tax break each year - 400 wealthiest families in America a $7 million tax break each year - and force tens of millions of middle class families to pay a massive new tax on their employer-provided health coverage. Maybe that affects you.

"Again, instead of acting to create jobs, the Trump Administration has prioritized a brutal agenda to target vulnerable populations and instill fear.

"The President's Muslim and Refugee ban dishonors our values, violates our Constitution and undermines our nation's fight against terror.

"He has launched a cruel new deportation dragnet - that will tear families apart and has hauled law-abiding immigrants out of church shelters, courtrooms, and schools.

"And just last week, President Trump dealt a heartbreaking blow to transgender children in our schools - a struggling group of LGBT young people who are the most at-risk.

"And all of this to deflect attention away from his failure to advance a jobs agenda and to deflect attention away from his Russian connection. I called him the 'Deflector-in-Chief.'

"The President says his actions are to make America safer. The fact is, he is making America less safe.

"President Trump's reckless agenda and incompetent judgment is jeopardizing the security of our nation. The President handed the National Security Council to a white supremacist.

"In the first month of the Trump White House, we saw the resignation of the National Security Advisor. And we saw the Chief of Staff pressure the FBI over investigations into connections between senior Trump officials and Russians.

"The American people deserve the truth.

"What do the Russians have on Donald Trump that he would flirt with lifting our sanctions against Russia because of their aggression in eastern Europe? That he would undermine the START Treaty? Praise Putin and stonewall any investigation to bring the truth to light - including releasing his tax returns?

"When the President talks about a mess, he's talking about his own first 40 days in office - which he utterly squandered.

"Democrats believe that we must focus every day on job creation and growing paychecks - for everyone, everywhere in our country.

"We should be creating jobs, rebuilding America's infrastructure, investing in the science, education, and innovation that will drive the jobs of the future and unleash the full potential of our country.

"Five weeks ago, we had a peaceful transfer of power at the Inauguration of a new President. Although, when President Trump spoke of carnage and decay, it was a sad day for our country.

"The next morning dawned with a peaceful show of power - where women and their families marched for our values in harmony and with good spirit. It was organic, it was personal, it was powerful. The women, men and children who poured into the streets for the Women's March, those who turned out at airports shortly thereafter and town halls in the weeks since - they honor the vision of our Founders.

"President Trump has made authoritarian choices: choices in favor of secrecy, the tool of authoritarians instead of transparency and openness - the essentials of a democracy.

"Calling the press the enemy of the people is cause for great alarm, and just one reason for the American [people] to be vigilant - very vigilant.

"The American people are mobilizing.

"As long as Republicans continue down this destructive and radical path, the public resistance will only increase. As President Lincoln said, 'Public sentiment is everything. With it, you can do almost anything. Without it, almost nothing.'

"In the halls of Congress, and in districts across America, Democrats will lead the fight against President Trump's dangerous, 'bait and switch,' 'Deflector-in-Chief' agenda.

"It is now my honor to present the Senate Leader, Chuck Schumer. I said earlier, he comes as a new leader, with the full confidence of his Senate Caucus and the overwhelming support of his constituents in New York, and he is leading the charge against the Trump Agenda in the Senate."

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