AFT President Randi Weingarten on President Trump’s State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON—Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten on President Trump’s State of the Union address. Weingarten attended the address as a guest of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

“The test of any president is whether he can unite a country and enact policies that enable broad-based opportunity. On that measure, President Trump’s inaugural State of the Union failed. Sadly, the high points—of lifting up American stories, as every modern president has done; mentioning a litany of one-liners on promoting infrastructure, vocational education and paid leave; and taking on the opioid crisis and escalating drug prices—were overtaken by ugly fear-mongering about immigrants and federal workers.

“For anyone who believes that America is a nation of immigrants, that Dreamers should have a home in this country, that workers’ wages should rise, that the rich should not be the biggest winners in the economy, that college and healthcare should be affordable, and that kids should have a ladder of opportunity, you didn’t get that tonight.”