Congressman DeSaulnier’s Statement on President Trump’s First Address to Joint Session of Congress

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump's first address to a Joint Session of Congress:

"The most important part of President Trump's Joint Address to Congress is not what he said, but rather what he chose not to say. While shifting his tone to sound more Presidential, the content of his speech was more of the same – broken promises. President Trump was light on explicit policy directives on how he plans to address the most pressing issues of our time.

"What I hoped to hear from the President tonight were answers to questions surrounding Russian influence in our electoral system, his financial conflicts of interests, how he plans to uphold his Constitutional obligations, and ultimately a display of humility and respect for the Office of the President. Instead, what I heard tonight was the blaming of others. I listened in disgust as he blamed immigrants for many of the problems facing our country; claimed that the Affordable Care Act is failing, when there is simply no evidence to support that claim; and touted that education is the great civil rights issue of our day, when just this week his Administration rolled back guidance for schools aimed at protecting transgender students.

"It is incumbent upon President Trump to call for an independent investigation into the Russian involvement in our democracy, his deflection tactics and silence on this issue are not acceptable."

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