Thoughts on Last Night
Dear Friend,
Over the last year, President Trump has left New Mexicans deeply uncertain and worried about the direction our nation is headed. He held basic governance and global security hostage to his impulses and tweets, shamefully turned away refugees and immigrants and dismantled important protections for our natural resources and public health. He had the opportunity to change course and unite the country last night during his State of the Union address. But instead he doubled down on his divisive rhetoric and empty promises.
Last night's speech can't hide the fact that President Trump has failed to put his money where his mouth is in tackling the challenges American families face. We have to broaden the economic recovery beyond Wall Street. Too many people in Washington, DC seem to think that if the stock market is going up, the economy is in good shape. But that just isn't the case for many New Mexico families who aren't seeing their wages go up, who can't afford to send their kids to college, and who are having difficulty making ends meet.
Instead of exploding our deficits with President Trump's reckless tax bill, we should be devoting real resources to infrastructure in rural communities, early childhood education, college affordability, growing our clean energy industry, and fighting the opioid addiction epidemic. Those forward-looking investments would actually strengthen our economy.
President Trump also continued taking cheap shots at young immigrants who are a real bright spot in our communities. I was proud to bring Dreamer and New Mexico Teacher of the Year Ivonne Orozco-Acosta as my guest to the State of the Union. I hope you can take a moment to watch the story about her from last night's CBS Evening News. Dreamers like Ivonne represent the future of a great America and are counting on us to stay focused on finding a bipartisan solution that is long overdue. I will be working every step of the way to make that happen.
I will also continue to hold the Trump Administration accountable and fight back against attacks on Dreamers, our LGBTQ community, victims of sexual harassment and assault, our national monuments and public lands, and access to affordable health care. And, through my role on the Senate Intelligence Committee, I remain determined to investigate the full extent of Russia's interference in the 2016 election and do everything necessary to protect the integrity of our democracy.
Despite President Trump's disappointing speech, I will continue working in a pragmatic way to solve problems and address urgent issues. I remain committed to focusing on what matters to all of us and fighting every day to make a difference for New Mexico.
Sincerely,
MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator
