Torres Responds to President's Address to Congress
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) issued the following statement in response to the President's Joint Address to Congress:
"I was disappointed by tonight's speech. It did not provide any concrete guarantees that the over 100,000 people in my district who have healthcare through the ACA will be able to keep their coverage or that he has a plan to fund the roads, rail systems, and public transit on which the Inland Empire economy depends. The President has shown us that he will say one thing and do the opposite, so I don't anticipate tonight's promises being any different.
"My guest to the address was just one of the people who has already been adversely impacted by the President's actions. Areej Ali is a Sudanese-born green card holder who was nearly prohibited from boarding a flight back home to the US and then detained upon her arrival at LAX as a result of the travel ban. She is an asset to this country, she did everything right, and yet she was treated like a criminal simply because of where she was born. While the President has recently mentioned introducing a new version of this pointless, irresponsible ban, I can't help but think how many more innocent people will be impacted by his reckless policies.
"From promising to repeal the ACA to his immigration guidelines to the useless border wall, the President's actions so far have done nothing but instill fear and create chaos while completely ignoring the actual problems we face. My constituents in the 35th district want to know that the social security system they paid into is going to be there for them and that Medicare isn't going to be run by private companies. They want to know that their healthcare won't be taken away just to score political points. And they want to know that our communities are not going to be torn apart by immigration raids, because we are no longer targeting dangerous criminals, but anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tonight's speech failed to give them the reassurances they deserve.
"The time is over for empty rhetoric and nasty tweets. It's time to get to govern and to do so responsibly. As this Congress gets to work, I hope my colleagues will hold the President accountable for the promises he made and always remember that our primary responsibility isn't to a party but to the people we were sent here to represent."