McClellan Statement on President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump addressed a Joint Session of Congress.

“Tonight, I had hoped to hear President Trump put the needs of the American people above politics. That’s not what we got. Instead, Trump spent two hours spewing lies and stoking bigotry and division. 

“Trump made clear his priorities of making billionaires richer, squashing dissent, and bowing down to our foreign adversaries by turning our backs on an ally during a dire time for global stability.

“Despite his claims tonight, this Administration — and Elon Musk — haven’t saved the American people a dime. Instead, they are engaged in a slash and burn attack on federal workers and the essential services they provide such as health care, food security, veterans benefits and more. Trump’s tariffs and economic policies will raise prices on everything from groceries to gasoline, toys to technology, and housing to healthcare. 

“Americans like my guest tonight, Jeanne Robinson, will suffer because of the Trump Administration’s policies. Thanks to Medicaid, Jeanne can care for her disabled grandson without sacrificing her family’s financial stability — a testament to the true value of care. Yet President Trump and congressional Republicans continue promoting steep cuts to crucial social safety net programs in the name of fiscal responsibility — while adding trillions of dollars to our national debt to provide tax cuts to billionaires.

“We should not abandon families like Jeanne’s by stripping healthcare from over 80 million Americans — children, pregnant and postpartum women, veterans, seniors, the disabled, those in long-term care — because an out-of-touch billionaire has deemed them inefficient or not profitable enough. It’s not who we are, and we will fight back.”

Jeanne Robinson of Henrico County, is a home care provider, long-time union leader with decades of experience as a therapist and social worker. During the pandemic, Jeanne left her job as an In-Home Counselor to care for her six-year-old grandson, who has Down syndrome.