In response to President Donald Trump’s first joint address to Congress, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04) released the following statement:
“The theme of tonight’s joint address to Congress —the ‘renewal of American spirit’ — felt painfully hollow as the only renewal I’ve seen since President Trump took office is a pernicious wave of nationalism, racism, misogyny, and antisemitism. Rather than detailing a plan to quell the violence and vandalism perpetrated by those who feel emboldened by his actions, President Trump touted his own perceived success while feigning concern for bipartisanship and unity.
“Much like his campaign, President Trump’s speech emphasized flash over substance, failing to provide tangible policy proposals to match his boasts and taking credit for the success of President Barack Obama. I found the president’s words empty and indicative of a weak person’s idea of what strength looks like. Not only did he fail to mention the fate of critical social safety programs that will undoubtedly suffer in the face of the president’s military spending increase, but it was also clear that vital issues like gender-based violence simply weren’t a concern of his administration.
“I find it incredulous that President Trump could claim a commitment to national security while failing to even mention how we will protect our nation’s women and daughters, especially when an average of three women are killed by a current or former partner every day in our country. Fortunately, Deborah Parker was by my side tonight as my guest to help stress our shared moral imperative to safeguard our nation’s most vulnerable. Deborah was instrumental in helping me reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 2013 to include critical provisions for Native American women and girls. With VAWA grant funding in jeopardy of being eliminated by the Trump administration, Deborah’s unique voice and steadfast advocacy is needed now more than ever.”