Washington (February 7, 2023) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after President Biden delivered the State of the Union address:

“Tonight we heard President Biden illustrate a vision for the future of America that is more ambitious, more equitable, more sustainable, and more just. This future is one in which no American is unable to access health care because they can’t afford it, no worker is illegally fired for attempting to form a union, no child gets sick from dirty water or air, no Black or Brown American dies from police brutality, no student hides under a desk in fear of an active shooter, no patient suffers from lack of access to opioid treatment, no parent has to drive to a McDonald’s parking lot so that their kid can access the internet, and no American struggles to make ends meet as the wealthy and big corporations rake in record profits. 

“It is our commitment to building this future for the American people that will propel Democrats’ agenda in the 118th Congress. As the President said tonight, this agenda must center the rights of people seeking abortion care, like my State of the Union guest Kate Dineen, as well as young LGBTQ+ Americans facing vile attacks across the country. Our agenda must prioritize holding big corporations accountable–from reining in Big Tech companies that track our children’s data and target them with manipulative ads, to cracking down on the price gouging of Big Oil executives that are pumping working and middle class Americans dry, to stopping Big Pharma from charging sky-high prescription drug prices to American consumers, to demanding more from airline executives who’ve been getting away with charging exorbitant fees just so parents can sit with their kids. 

“We must also face down the existential threat of climate change as we build an economic future that works for working people, not just those at the top, and that brings communities who have stood at the frontlines of the climate crisis to the forefront of the solutions and opportunities that the Inflation Reduction Act delivers. As we move from legislation to implementation, it is critical that these historic investments in our clean-energy future translate to historic progress toward racial and economic justice. As the President made clear tonight, American workers can and will be the leaders of the 21st century clean-energy revolution, one that will be powered by solar, wind, and good union jobs.

“Because the Republican agenda is to keep our union divided, then it must be through the pursuit of justice that we will heal and strengthen it—economic justice, climate justice, health justice, and racial justice. That is the commitment President Biden is delivering on, and the future that Democrats in Congress must continue to build.”

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