Press Release
Posted:
Washington – Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) issued the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union address. Thompson was chosen by Pelosi as a designated survivor for the House of Representatives and watched the speech from offsite.
“Time and time again, this President has shown he will not make the hard choices or put in the long hours that result in progress for the American people. Tonight’s State of the Union address was no different. He did not even mention gun violence prevention and his party continues to stonewall H.R. 8 in the Senate, a bill that passed the House with bipartisan support and would help save lives right away. He also ignored the threat of climate change, offering nothing to help us tackle this issue.
“While I was glad to hear the President express some willingness to work in a bipartisan way on improving access to quality affordable health care and improving our nation’s infrastructure, the devil is in the details. And we have already seen that this President and his Administration are more focused on tearing down the Affordable Care Act and undoing the positive progress we have made under that law. The Administration has worked at every turn to take away protections for patients with pre-existing conditions.
“Notwithstanding the President’s efforts to do away with these vital pre-existing conditions protections, I will continue my fight to improve the lives of people in our district and across our nation. From defending the Affordable Care Act and its lifesaving protections for patients with pre-existing conditions, to drafting and passing legislation to modernize our infrastructure, and to ensuring we optimize our tax code to prioritize renewable energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, I will not stop in my work to help our community and our county move forward.”
Each year for the State of the Union address, Members of Congress can offer one ticket to a guest of their choosing. These slots are often used to highlight issues of importance to the American people. Thompson invited Benicia resident and patient advocate Andrew Blackshear as his guest to tonight’s address. Andrew faced several health scares that included emergency and open-heart surgeries and he is now an advocate for patients with pre-existing conditions