Cutting Through Trump’s Smoke & Mirrors At The State Of The Union Speech, Schumer To Confront “Year One Of Chaos” With Five New Yorkers Paying The Price For Trump’s High Costs,[...]

Washington, D.C. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today announced five New Yorkers he will bring to President Trump's State of the Union - each representing the real-world consequences of Trump's first year back in office: higher costs, shattered families, stalled jobs, and secrecy over accountability. Together, they reflect the damage from Trump's tariff tax, ICE's unlawful arrests, frozen infrastructure funding, attacks on jobs, and soaring health care costs crushing small businesses.

"Trump's first year back in office has meant higher costs, chaos, and corruption; and behind every reckless decision is a real American family paying the price. But - it's vital that we recognize and remember the human cost of such devastation. That's why I am inviting five New Yorkers to attend the State of the Union, so I can highlight their stories and amplify their voices," said Leader Schumer. "From a survivor demanding transparency, to the mother of a student arrested after following the law, to workers sidelined by political games, to a small business owner hit with a million-dollar tariff tax - these are the Americans living with the consequences of Trump's agenda. Senate Democrats will keep fighting to lower costs, protect jobs, defend families, and demand accountability."

Leader Schumer's State of the Union Guests:

Dani Bensky - a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein from New York City

• Dani Bensky survived abuse by Jeffrey Epstein after meeting him at age 17. She's since become a leading voice demanding full transparency and justice.

• As the Trump DOJ slow-walks and redacts Epstein records, Dani represents survivors still fighting for the truth.

• Leader Schumer has long been an advocate for justice for Epstein survivors. Since 2019, Leader Schumer has called for the release of the Epstein files. After Epstein's sweetheart plea deal, Leader Schumer called for the Office of Professional Responsibility to stop stonewalling and make the documentation public, adding he wanted the Senate to have hearings on the matter. More recently, in July, Leader Schumer and Democratic committee colleagues pushed the DOJ to turn over the Epstein files by citing their authority under a little-known statute, the Rule of Five. And in September, Leader Schumer offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have directed AG Bondi to release all unclassified documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. In addition, Leader Schumer led the push to successfully pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act in December and continues to push the Trump administration to release full files.

• Leader Schumer has also introduced Virginia's Law, new landmark legislation to eliminate the statute of limitations that has shielded traffickers like Jeffrey Epstein and denied sexual exploitation survivors their day in court.

• At the State of the Union, Dani stands for accountability and justice - not cover-ups.

Raiza Contreras - a mother of the first NYC public school student detained by ICE

• Raiza's son, Dylan Lopez Contreras, a student at Ellis Preparatory Academy in the Bronx, entered the US legally, complied with every requirement, and showed up to his mandatory immigration hearing - only to be arrested by ICE in the courthouse lobby. Dylan is currently being detained in an ICE detention facility, and his mother Raiza, and his attorneys are fighting to bring him home.

• Dylan entered the United States in April 2024 through a program that allowed migrants to present themselves lawfully and seek asylum. He was permitted to remain in the country while awaiting his hearing, obtained work authorization and a learner's permit, enrolled in high school, and worked part-time as a delivery driver to help his mother care for his two younger siblings. Dylan was granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.

• Leader Schumer has been leading efforts to rein in ICE - banning courthouse and school arrests, prohibiting masked enforcement, requiring body cameras and identification, preventing racial profiling, and guaranteeing access to counsel. Leader Schumer said federal immigration agents cannot continue to cause chaos in communities without accountability and that Congress must act to protect constitutional rights while ensuring common-sense enforcement.

• Raiza Contreras will attend President Trump's State of the Union address as Leader Schumer's honored guest as she continues fighting for her son's release.

Gearóid Keogh - a union construction worker on the Gateway Tunnel Project, who lost his job after Trump froze funding

• Gearóid Keogh, a member of LIUNA Local 731, lost his job when President Trump illegally froze funding for the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project - sidelining 1,000 union workers.

• In early February, Leader Schumer joined the brothers and sisters of Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) to rally against the Trump administration's unlawful Gateway funding freeze, which impacted 1,000 union workers. At the time, union workers like Mr. Keogh were no longer employed and not being paid. Leader Schumer worked tirelessly to restore $235 million in Gateway funding to bring union workers back on the job. Construction on the $16 billion Hudson River project has restarted after a court ordered the Trump administration to release the funds.

• Leader Schumer has long championed the Hudson Tunnel Project, and secured billions of dollars in federal funding that supports planning and construction. The project, currently underway in Manhattan and New Jersey, will expand rail capacity under the Hudson River and strengthen the entire Northeast Corridor.

Aleshandra Fernandes, a Long Island ironworker, whose job for Sunrise Wind has faced repeated delays due to Trump administration interference

• Aleshandra Fernandes is a union ironworker for offshore wind projects. She worked on the South Fork Wind project (Ørsted) and spent one month at sea working on each turbine. Her job on Sunrise Wind has been delayed multiple times because of Trump's repeated interference.

• Trump's Department of the Interior (DOI) has abruptly paused leases for five offshore wind projects, including two off the coast of New York, threatening to raise electricity bills, kill thousands of union jobs, halt projects that would power more than one million homes and undermine grid reliability.

• Leader Schumer said construction is underway for Empire Wind 1, by Norwegian developer Equinor, and Sunrise Wind, by Danish developer Ørsted, and would deliver a combined 1,734 megawatts of power to New York's electric grid, enough to power approximately 1.1 million homes. If the projects are paused by President Trump again, thousands of union workers risk losing their jobs and tens of millions of dollars in wages.

• After Trump's fifth straight court loss attempting to halt offshore wind, Sunrise Wind resumed construction - but workers remain one political decision away from another shutdown. Clean-energy jobs should not be casualties of political vendettas.

Ben Pearson - a small-business owner from Rochester, NY, forced to lay off over a quarter of his employees due to Trump's Tariff Tax

• Ben Pearson - Founder and CEO of ENALAS, manufactures science kits for classrooms. Trump's tariff tax hit his company with $1 million in unexpected costs - wiping out free cash flow and forcing layoffs from 50 employees to 37, or 26%.

• Health insurance premiums have spiked 19%, threatening coverage for his workers. The ongoing rise in health care costs is making it increasingly unsustainable for small businesses like ENALAS and their employees, especially as these increases far outpace revenue and wage growth.

• After the Supreme Court struck down Trump's illegal tariffs last week, Leader Schumer demanded automatic refunds for small businesses that paid the unlawful tax and pledged to permanently end the trade war.

• Leader Schumer has been a leading voice in Congress to lower costs for small business owners like Ben by pushing to end Trump's reckless trade war. Leader Schumer has led Senate Democrats in the fight to overturn Trump's illegal trade wars and visited with small businesses across New York to see the impact tariffs have firsthand. American small businesses should not be collateral damage in reckless economic experiments.

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