The DNC Stands with Stacey Abrams

Tonight, while Donald Trump continued to divide and lie to the American people, Stacey Abrams spoke about the values that unite us. Last year, Abrams inspired voters in Georgia and across the country with a powerful vision and a positive message of unity, inclusion, and opportunity. Her response to the State of the Union tonight was no different. The DNC is proud to stand with Abrams, who embodies our party’s values and our fight to build a brighter future for all.

 

Here are just a few of the issues she discussed in the official Democratic response to tonight’s State of the Union:

 

Expanding Voting Rights

 

“We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted is a ‘power grab.’ Americans understand that these are the values our brave men and women in uniform and our veterans risk their lives to defend. The foundation of our moral leadership around the globe is free and fair elections, where voters pick their leaders — not where politicians pick their voters.”

 

Fighting for Equality for All Americans

 

“We fought Jim Crow with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, yet we continue to confront racism from our past and in our present – which is why we must hold everyone from the highest offices to our own families accountable for racist words and deeds – and call racism what it is: Wrong.

 

“America achieved a measure of reproductive justice in Roe v. Wade, but we must never forget it is immoral to allow politicians to harm women and families to advance a political agenda. We affirmed marriage equality, and yet, the LGBTQ community remains under attack.”

 

Protecting American Immigrants’ Rights

 

“We know bipartisanship could craft a 21st century immigration plan, but this administration chooses to cage children and tear families apart. 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.”

 

Creating an Economy That Works for Every Family

 

“In Georgia and around the country, people are striving for a middle class where a salary truly equals economic security. But instead, families’ hopes are being crushed by Republican leadership that ignores real life or just doesn’t understand it. 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.”

 

Fighting for Quality, Affordable Health Care for All

 

“Rather than suing to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, as Republican attorneys general have, our leaders must protect the progress we’ve made and commit to expanding health care and lowering costs for everyone […] In this great nation, Americans are skipping blood pressure pills, forced to choose between buying medicine or paying rent. Maternal mortality rates show that mothers, especially black mothers, risk death to give birth. And in 14 states, including my home state where a majority want it, our leaders refuse to expand Medicaid, which could save rural hospitals, save economies, and save lives.”