Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 2-8-19

White House And Political News
Trump Plays To His Base In State Of The Union, But Says He Wants To Unite
Facing a divided Congress well as the desire of most De- during his next two years in on vivid display as Demo- peace and legislation, there
for the first time, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Washington to re- ject “the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution.” He warned emboldened De- mocrats that “ridiculous par- tisan investigations” into his administration and busi- nesses could hamper a surg- ing American economy.
Trump’s appeals for bi- partisanship in his State of the Union address clashed with the rancorous atmos- phere he has helped cultivate in the nation’s capital — as
PRES. TRUMP
cratic congresswomen in the audience formed a sea of white in a nod to early 20th- century suffragettes.
Trump spoke at a critical moment in his presidency, staring down a two-year stretch that will determine whether he is re-elected or leaves office in defeat. His speech sought to shore up Republican support that had eroded slightly during the re- cent government shutdown and previewed a fresh de- fense against Democrats as they ready a round of inves- tigations into every aspect of his administration.
“If there is going to be
cannot be war and investiga- tion,” he declared. Lawmak- ers in the cavernous House chamber sat largely silent.
Looming over the presi- dent’s address was a fast-ap- proaching Feb. 15 deadline to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. De- mocrats have refused to ac- quiesce to his demands for a border wall, and Republicans are increasingly unwilling to shut down the government to help him fulfill his signature campaign pledge. Nor does the GOP support the presi- dent’s plan to declare a na- tional emergency if Congress won’t fund the wall.
mocrats to block his agenda
office. Their opposition was
Stacey Abrams Calls Trump’s Government Shutdown A 'Disgrace' In SOTU Response
Stacey Abrams delivered a mighty Democratic response at tonight’s State of the Union, making history as the first Black woman to do so.
Standing in front of a racially diverse group of peo- ple, Abrams spoke to Demo- cratic values, and brought up issues which President Don- ald Trump didn’t mention once in his speech: mass shoot- ings, LGBTQ support and voter suppression.
Abrams, a rising star in her party, was selected to give the response after a hard-fought race for governor of Georgia during midterm elections. She lost by 2 points in the face of suspected voter suppression by her opponents’ administration. Abrams, the former Minority leader of the House in Georgia, also didn’t hold back on criti- cizing President Trump’s historic government shutdown, which lasted 35 days.
“Just a few weeks ago, I joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed federal workers. They waited in line for a box of food and a sliver of hope since they hadn’t received a paycheck in weeks,” Abrams said. “Making their livelihoods a pawn for political games is a disgrace.”
Abrams said the “shutdown was a stunt engineered by the president of the United States,
STACEY ABRAMS
one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people – but our val- ues.”
“In Georgia and around the country, people are striving for a middle class where a salary truly equals economic secu- rity,” said Abrams. “But in- stead, families’ hopes are being crushed by Republican leader- ship that ignores real life or just doesn’t understand it.”
Notably, Abrams made clear that she didn’t want the President to fail, but to change his leadership approach.
“I don’t want him to fail— but we need him to tell the truth. Respect his duties,” said Abrams.
“We may come from differ- ent sides of the political aisle, but our joint commitment to the ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable.”
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL-BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019