Rep. Davis Not Attending State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 -- Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Illinois, issued the following news release:

Congressmen Danny K. Davis (D-IL 07) today announced he will boycott the 2018 State of the Union address by President Trump in Washington and meet instead with constituents in Chicago to examine the State of Our Union and the State of Our Communities and listen to the Democratic response to the SOTU.

Citing the escalating racist, chauvinistic, jingoistic, divisive rhetoric and actions of the President, Davis proclaimed "I cannot in good conscience stand silently by and watch generations of struggle for equal rights, for civil, human and voting rights, for the rights of women, for social and economic justice be undone from the highest office in the land. Therefore, during the President's 2018 State of the Union Address, I will be in Chicago meeting with constituents from the 7th Congressional District to explore the Peoples' State of the Union."

Davis pointed to President Trump's:

* Acceptance, defense and justification of neo-Nazi, racist, anti-Semitic hate groups in the U.S. and his contempt, disdain and marginalization of people of color, including the entire continent of Africa, and Haiti and Mexico

* Hateful, grim attacks on the rights of women and the LGBTQ community by Presidential directive

* Calls for the escalation of use of force and the criminal justice system to suppress and repress social and economic crises rather than implement solutions to them

* Bigoted, intolerant, heartless assault on the undocumented and those with Temporary Protected Status

* Refusal to protect our system of democratic elections, his anti-democratic assault on the free press and use of demagogy, falsehoods and social media to bully and hector those he perceives as opponents or "enemies"

* Relentless attacks on the Affordable Care Act and quality, accessible healthcare for the American people

* Greed laced tax bill channeling trillions of dollars to the big corporations and the 1%, nothing for low- and middle income Americans while increasing the deficit and threatening Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security

* Empty, phony prescriptions for addressing the opioid crisis and the urgent need to rebuild our crumbling water and sewer systems; our roads and bridges; our schools and community and public health care systems; our power and information grids without federal funding

* Rejection and scorn for science as a guide for policy and eagerness to place short term profit over sustainability even at the cost of global environmental disaster

* Reckless, militaristic foreign policy posturing and threats including the potential use of nuclear weapons and the undermining of diplomacy, international stability, United Nations resolutions, and initiatives toward collective security

* Appointment of cabinet members noted for their opposition to, and determination to undo and undermine the mission and responsibilities of their respective departments

Congressman Davis is the Ranking Member of the Human Resources Subcommittee on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee