Senate Democrats And Guests Highlight Real State Of The Union Under Trump: Costs, Chaos, Corruption

Washington D.C. - Today, Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) held a press conference with their guests for the State of The Union address to highlight the significant repercussions and fallout from President Trump's divisive first year back in office. The Senators and their guests pointed to how President Trump and Republicans are raising costs on Americans, sowing chaos in our communities, and turning a blind eye to corruption. The press conference can be viewed here.

"Today is about Americans. Americans that have been ignored, lied to, and hurt by Trump. Today is about Dani Bensky. Dani's a New Yorker, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse. And she's here because even after everything she endured, she is still fighting, not just for herself, but for every survivor who was silenced, who was ignored, who was dismissed," said Leader Schumer. "For months, Trump campaigned on releasing the files. Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act last year to advance a simple message: no one is above the law. Yet for three months, Trump's Justice Department has done everything to evade and cover-up the crimes. It's cruel, it's corrupt, and it's unacceptable. There is no half-justice. The American people deserve the truth. Survivors deserve accountability."

"Trump spent his first year in office dividing Americans, catering to the wealthy, and really making life a lot harder for people," said Senator Klobuchar. "Whatever President Trump says is the State of the Union, the reality of the state of the union is right up here. Many Americans - whether they're Democrats, Independents, or Republicans - don't want a rubberstamp Congress. They want a Congress that's going to stand up and put the people first. So while Trump enriches himself at Americans' expense and Republicans rubberstamp his divisive agenda, Democrats will keep fighting to bring down costs, end the chaos, and fight corruption."

"We all know that the administration has already mis-stepped in trying to take over rights that don't belong to [them], in the tariffs," said Senator Cantwell. "Certainly in sending Homeland Security to threaten the free speech of Minnesotans and now in an executive order and pushing the SAVE [America] Act, the franchise of American citizens. Millions of Americans will have to pay to prove their citizenship if they want to vote, under Donald Trump's proposal. A passport can cost $165. In Washington a replacement of a birth certificate is somewhere between $28 and $51, and voters will have to travel to do more paperwork and stand in longer lines. He is basically threatening to nationalize the elections. This is unconstitutional."

"No matter if you're from a state that's red or blue, a city that's big or a town that's small, no matter the color of your skin or the accent you speak in, nearly every American has experienced the stress, fear and heartbreak of a health crisis," Senator Duckworth said. "In that kind of worst-case-scenario moment, the last thing any American needs is to be treated by their government as if they're being punished for the supposed sin of getting sick. That's one reason why I was honored to invite Jeremy Schumacher to be my State of The Union guest today. His family's health care costs have nearly quadrupled because of Trump-and he knows all too well how it feels to fear that every medical bill will be the one that his family can't come back from. I'm in awe of Jeremy, and he and every other American deserve to know that in their most nightmarish moments, they deserve better than this nightmare of a president."

"Trump's golden age has been nothing but a golden age for himself, his family, and his rich buddies - while the rest of us suffer through his chaos, costs, and corruption," Senator Kim said. "At a time when Americans are managing skyrocketing healthcare premiums and life-changing challenges like caring for aging parents, we need people in our corner who are actually looking out for us. That's why I invited Cathy Rowe, who has dedicated her work to helping families navigate exactly that."

"The administration has turned vibrant American neighborhoods into places where people are even afraid to leave their homes, go to supermarkets. In my state, kids are not even going to Head Start or attending church," said Senator Blunt Rochester. "However, these moments of chaos are also in the same wake of extraordinary strength from everyday Americans. One such American is Maria Mesias-Tatnall, who joined me today. Maria, to me, represents so many people, the unsung heroes. Maybe they don't have the big title, they're not elected, but they're the people who are doing the work every day to make people feel safe in our communities. And so today and tonight, it was important for me to bring somebody here who represented all of them. She represents to me all that is good and kind in our country. She represents humanity in a time where some people are acting very inhumane."

Leader Schumer's guest Dani Bensky, an Epstein Survivor and advocate, said: "My survivor sisters and I have been fighting for transparency and accountability. Meanwhile, Donald Trump calls us a hoax, the laws of the Transparency Act have been broken, and we have had personal identifying information exposed. Trump and his DOJ continue to coverup and protect perpetrators. We need to release [all of the] files. This moment is one of great importance, not just for Epstein & Maxwell survivors but for all survivors of abuse. We cannot continue to be re-victimized by letting power exploit the vulnerable. We must keep shining a light in the darkest places together. As a life long New Yorker, I am honored and grateful to attend the State of The Union as Senator Schumer's guest. The truth must come out."

Senator Cantwell's guest, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, said: "If this administration was serious about elections, you know what they would do? They would restore the funding and support which they cut last year to programs to defend our elections from constant cyberattack and disinformation campaigns from overseas actors. Hire back the cybersecurity experts and professionals that supported our elections."

Senator Duckworth's guest Jeremy Schumacher, spoke about his skyrocketing health costs: "Our insurance costs nearly quadrupled in the past two months. We went from a $5,000 deductible to a $16,400 deductible. I just went to the doctor and found out I have diabetes. The testing, the X-rays that I got, I will never be able to pay for them. If it was just health care, it'd be one thing-but everything has gone up, from electricity to groceries. We just cannot afford to live anymore. This isn't a Republican or Democratic question-it's an everyday American question. There are thousands of us suffering in silence."

Senator Kim's guest Cathy Rowe, the Executive Director of New Jersey Advocates for Aging Well, said: "The senator's video about his father's Alzheimer's diagnosis really resonated with me - as someone who works in the aging field, I was caught off guard by my mother's own diagnosis. I completely missed it. But fortunately, I knew where to go for help and yet I still struggled with all of that - I can't understand how people not familiar or working in this space can navigate it all. Aging is one of the few things that we all have in common, and the caregiving generation is feeling the squeeze. So we need an all-hands-on-deck approach that includes more professional caregivers, and more companies giving caregiver benefits and coverage."

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