Dylan Lewis
US National Politics
State of the Union Address
| Foreign Policy | Domestic Policy |
| -to create an immigration system that is safe, lawful, modern and secure
-to pursue a foreign policy that puts America’s interests first |
-to defend American jobs and demand fair trade for American workers
-to rebuild and revitalize our Nation’s infrastructure -to reduce the price of healthcare and prescription drugs |
President Trump and the House Democratic majority have a lot of disagreements. But, President Trump has asked the House to come together to agree with some of his viewpoints to better the nation as a whole. This is shown many times in the State of the Union Address, such as when he asked the House to address issues “that have been neglected by both parties over many decades”, and to choose between greatness or gridlock, results or resistance, vision or vengeance, incredible progress or pointless destruction. He also talked about how both parties need to be able to come together to help rebuild America’s damaged infrastructure, such as the repairing and upgrading of U.S. roads, bridges, tunnels, and need to resolve the differences about how to come to such a conclusion. He is also trying to revise trade deals and enforce better protections for U.S. workers (State of the Union 2019.)
In the State of the union Address, President Trump had language that revealed his thoughts/views on the executive branch and approach and what he believes is best to do as the President. Firstly, he talks about how he got rid of Obamacare, as he says it was unpopular. Although there were members of the House Democratic majority that agreed with Obamacare, as it slowed the rise of healthcare, covered the essential health benefits, and helped children up to the age of 26 have healthcare, President Trump still eliminated it because he believed that it was not necessary for healthcare across the nation. The only mentions that are obvious in the State of the Union Address are when he states at the end of his speech “This is our future — our fate — and our choice to make. I am asking you to choose greatness. No matter the trials we face, no matter the challenges to come, we must go forward together. We must keep America first in our hearts. We must keep freedom alive in our souls. And we must always keep faith in America’s destiny — that one Nation, under God, must be the hope and the promise and the light and the glory among all the nations of the world! (State of the Union 2019.)
Stacey Abrams, Democratic nominee for the governor of Georgia, has a rebuttal to President Trump’s State of the Union Address. In this, she challenges him by stating that citizens in not only Georgia but in the entire nation are striving for a middle class where a salary really equals economic security, not repeatedly having their hopes crushed by Republican leadership that either “doesn’t understand real life” or “ignores it.” She states that “ Under the current administration, far too many hard-working Americans are falling behind, living paycheck to paycheck, most without labor unions to protect them from even worse harm.” Also, she talks about how timidly the White House responded when it comes to gun control with all the school shootings around the country. She says that our leaders should be willing to tackle gun safety measures. Then, she states that “the Republican tax bill rigged the system against working people, and rather than bringing back jobs, plants are closing, layoffs are looming and wages struggle to keep pace with the actual cost of living. Lastly, she talks about border control. She believes that a bipartisan government could craft a better and more modern immigration plan, but the administration under President Trump “cages children and tear them from their families.” An important thing that she said that sums up her belief is “Compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as open borders. President Reagan understood this. President Obama understood this. Americans understand this. And Democrats stand ready to effectively secure our ports and borders. But we must all embrace that from agriculture to healthcare to entrepreneurship, America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants – not walls” (Law, Tara.)
In the State of the Union Address and in my short writing assignment about the state of Colorado, the issues that they are facing have some similarities and some differences. In the short writing assignment, I talked about the issues that Governor Jared Polis is trying to tackle, such as studying, identifying and implementing policies that will lower health care costs while ensuring that all Coloradans have access to affordable and quality care. This has similarities to the State of the Union address because in President Trump’s speech, he talks about wanting to lower the costs of healthcare and prescription drugs, and to protect patients with pre-existing conditions.
Works Cited
Law, Tara. “Stacey Abrams’ State of the Union Response: Full Transcript.” Time, Time, 6 Feb. 2019, time.com/5521939/state-of-the-union-democratic-response-transcript/.
“State of the Union 2019: Read the Full Transcript.” CNN, Cable News Network, 6 Feb. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/donald-trump-state-of-the-union-2019-transcript/index.html.
Pramuk, Jacob. “Trump Calls for Bipartisanship in Congress – as Long as He Gets What He Wants.” CNBC, CNBC, 6 Feb. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/02/05/trump-urges-cooperation-on-immigration-in-state-of-the-union-address.html.