Washington (February 5, 2019) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after President Donald Trump’s second State of the Union address. This year, Senator Markey brought as his guest Varshini Prakash, Executive Director and co-founder of Sunrise, a movement of young people working to stop climate change. Prakash has spent years successfully organizing young people who are dedicated to ending the reign of fossil fuel interests in politics and elect leaders who will fight for the health and well-being of future generations.
“On the most important issue facing our country and its people – climate change – President Trump’s State of the Union was as empty as his schedules. While temperatures rise and wages fall, President Trump continues his climate denial, letting Big Oil, King Coal and the Koch Brothers dictate an energy agenda that endangers public health, national security, and economic prosperity. Instead of Trump’s climate raw deal, America needs a green New Deal that transforms our economy, delivers justice, and unleashes the greatest blue-collar job creation program in a generation.
“So, when Donald Trump talks about compromise, what he really means is capitulation.
“Trump says he is ready to work with Democrats on immigration, but only if he gets funding for his hateful wall. Democrats stand ready to work towards bipartisan solutions to protect our Dreamers and TPS recipients and strengthen border security, but we will not allow our immigration system to vilify immigrants or upend the lives of those seeking promise and security in our nation.
“Trump says he is ready to work on infrastructure, but only by selling our roads and bridges to big banks and private companies. Rather than selling Main Street to Wall Street, we need real infrastructure investments that ensure our workers are respected and protected and fortifies and armors our communities to combat and withstand the adverse impacts of climate change.
“Trump says his foreign policy is ‘America First’, but his actions towards allies have isolated us and put America last. The Trump administration’s determination to go it alone and abandon the partners, institutions, treaties, and long-standing agreements upon which America has relied for decades to help ensure peace, stability, and prosperity for all is reckless and destabilizing. We shouldn’t cut the State Department budget; we should invest in the smart diplomacy that creates true global leadership.
“There is an opportunity to work together – the President, Congress and the American people – on a green New Deal, on immigration, on infrastructure, on foreign policy, and other priorities, but only if President Trump actually understands what true compromise requires. Tonight, President Trump advised Congress: ‘We must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution — and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise and the common good.” So far in his administration, he has yet to take his own advice.”
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