Kaine Statement On President Trump’s Address To Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress tonight:

“President Trump’s first month in office has caused deep concern among Virginians. I was pleased that his address tonight was more upbeat than his gloomy and combative inaugural address. It is now time for President Trump to follow through with serious policy proposals.

“I’m encouraged by President Trump’s commitment to investing in defense and infrastructure – areas where I will continue to look for common ground – but I have serious concerns about his plans to cut programs that help working families and protect our environment, create a voucher program that would hurt public schools, and gut State Department funding that’s critical to our national security. And it’s difficult to take President Trump at his word in areas like immigration reform when we’ve seen him repeatedly vilify undocumented immigrants and threaten a deportation force that would tear families apart.

“Tonight, President Trump failed to put forward a specific plan to replace or improve the Affordable Care Act despite prior promises to keep coverage for all Americans. I’ve heard directly from my constituents – through letters, email, phone calls, and throughout my travels in Virginia – that a repeal of the ACA would be a disaster for them. The message from Virginians is loud and clear: we ought to be working together to find ways to improve the Affordable Care Act, not destroying it and injecting needless uncertainty into people’s lives.”

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