WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump gave his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night. He was followed by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams who gave the Democratic response.
The president ended his 82-minute speech by urging the nation to not be 'defined by our differences.'
Local politicians reacted to the address.
Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA): "What I had hoped to hear from the President tonight was a plan to make sure our government stays up and running ten days from now, and a willingness to work with Congress to make sure that a shutdown never happens again. Unfortunately, what the American people got was more of the same partisan fear-mongering and one-sided demands. It's deeply disappointing to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors across the Commonwealth and the country who are once again bracing for the worst."
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA): “President Trump just led our country into the longest shutdown in our history, robbing hundreds of thousands of Americans of their paychecks and millions more of government services for over a month. I looked for evidence tonight of remorse over the immense pain he just caused, but instead we heard more fear mongering over immigration. If he were serious about national security, he would treat public safety workers with respect and let Congress invest in smart border security improvements. During other parts of the speech, I was glad to hear him talk about some critical issues like improving our infrastructure, fighting childhood cancer, and lowering prescription drug prices. I hope he will follow through on those promises and work with us in Congress to make them a reality.”
U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC): “I appreciated President Trump’s call for more bipartisan cooperation. The American people are sick and tired of people on the far-right and far-left drowning out those in the middle who want to get things done. We have an opportunity to produce major bipartisan results like modernizing America’s infrastructure, securing our borders and fixing our broken immigration system, and ensuring our veterans, servicemembers and military families receive the support they need and deserve. Now is the time for Democrats and Republicans to find common ground, not to bow down to the fringes of either party. I intend to continue to work across the aisle on commonsense solutions, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same and prove that a divided Congress can produce results.”
U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC):
“Today, two years into the Trump Administration, our economy is booming, our job market is flourishing, and millions of Americans now get to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks each week. Unemployment is hovering steadily near record lows. Wages are on the rise. There are more open jobs than there are people to fill them. And employers and consumers alike feel confident about the direction we’re heading.
“Our economy’s sustained success is largely thanks to this Administration’s efforts to prioritize Republican pro-growth policies. Under President Trump, Congress passed the first major tax overhaul in more than 30 years and enacted commonsense regulatory reform, rolling back needless bureaucratic red tape.
“On top of that, we’ve filled a record number of judicial seats, confirmed two extremely qualified Supreme Court justices, taken action to address the opioid crisis, and passed bipartisan budget bills through the long-ignored appropriations process.
“None of this guarantees the challenges that lay ahead will be easy or the answers simple. We still have much work to do to protect our borders, rebuild America’s aging infrastructure, improve healthcare affordability, and stand up to hostile foreign powers in an increasingly complex global environment.
“By working together, however, we can continue laying the foundation for a bright and promising future. I hope my colleagues across the aisle listen to the President’s call for unity, and join us in focusing on the issues that matter the most to the American people.”
This article will be updated as statements are made.