The State of the Union is Hopeful--Without Trump

Statement

Tonight, U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Chair of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, released the following statement on his enduring faith in our democracy, and in reaction to President Trump's State of the Union address:

"My optimism is based on a future without Trump, where Americans rise up to throw out this self-serving, reckless president before he becomes a full-fledged tyrant. With baseless boasting, falsehoods, and hollow platitudes, he failed to address a multitude of challenges, including the climate crisis, crushing student debt, election security, preventing gun violence, and paying for overdue infrastructure investment. While not yet king, Trump, with his trillion dollar yearly deficits, has certainly earned his self-styled title as the "King of Debt.'

Trump's claim that the cost of prescription drugs went down is false. Trump promised to lower drug prices; he didn't campaign on a pledge to slow price increases. Patients drowning from these prices need a life raft, not an anchor that drags them down slower. While he could have acted in his first week to lower drug prices, Trump, in his fourth year, has failed to do anything to actually lower prices for anyone. None of his proposals will lower drug manufacturer prices a penny this year.

Instead of slashing prices, Trump slashes Americans' health care. He seeks to terminate Affordable Care for millions, end protections for patients with pre-existing conditions, and wreck Medicaid, while promoting "junk insurance' and claiming to have a secret replacement plan."

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