PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — President Donald Trump spoke for nearly 80 minutes Tuesday evening as he gave his third State of the Union Address.
Some notable moments included the honoring of Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest civilian honor in the nation—and the surprise reunification of Sgt. 1st Class Townsend Williams with his wife and children. Trump also spoke of the nation’s strong economy, citing low unemployment statistics, and even touched on foreign policy.
Shortly after the president’s speech ended around 7:30 p.m. local time, Oregon leaders reacted to his statements.
Oregon’s Senators
Senator Ron Wyden shared the following memorandum shortly after the State of the Union concluded:
“If you want to see what Donald Trump would do with four more years, look back at his record of ignoring the problems typical families face over the last three.
“Trump’s key legislative accomplishment is a tax handout for multinational corporations, special interests and the wealthy, and he expects working families to praise him for it. With another term, he’ll send those working families and seniors the bill for his $2 trillion tax giveaway and claw back their hard earned health care and Social Security benefits. Americans are still getting mugged by drug companies every time they walk up to the pharmacy counter, but Trump hasn’t lifted a finger to lower drug prices, and has even discarded his campaign promise to let Medicare negotiate. His administration’s recent attack on Medicaid is just the latest example of how it’s shredding the safety net and making it harder for millions of Americans to get ahead.
“Bottom line, the Trump administration has been a terrific success at helping the powerful and wealthy build on their power and wealth, but it has failed at addressing the key kitchen table issues that keep typical Americans up at night.”
Meanwhile, Senator Jeff Merkley’s staff issued a series of fact checks through his verified Twitter account as the State of the Union progressed. His office later issued this statement:
“This State of the Union took place under the shadow of an impeachment trial that has clearly become a cover-up. President Trump may have intended to use tonight’s speech to divert Americans’ attention from the cloud that hangs over his presidency, but no words can distract from the corruption of his attempts to pressure a foreign government to intervene in our election.
“Tonight’s speech only reinforces that while President Trump ran on a ‘drain the swamp’ platform, he has spent the last three years becoming the most corrupt American president in modern history. From prescription drug prices, to Social Security and Medicare, to a tax scheme that gave away our national treasury to the wealthiest, the pattern has been clear: When rich and powerful special interests come knocking, President Trump won’t hesitate to sell out working Americans for his own political benefit. This unchecked corruption has come to a head in President Trump’s own self-dealing, attempting to use the power of the U.S. government to cheat in the 2020 election.
“Our democracy has survived for over two centuries because honest public servants have come together, regardless of party affiliation, to insist on a government of, by, and for the people. Today, we face another key juncture in the great American story. May the path ahead be one of restored integrity and partnership in tackling the great challenges facing America.”
Oregon’s Representatives
Before the address even commenced, Representative Earl Blumenauer announced that he planned to boycott the State of the Union.
Blumenauer then authored an extensive Twitter thread that began with, “Rather than dignify Trump’s parade of boasts, lies, and puffery with my presence, I instead am focusing on what the next State of the Union will be like if we all do our part.”
Contrary to his constituents, earlier Tuesday, Representative Greg Walden said he was looking forward to the president’s address, and cited that, “Under the President’s leadership, OR has over 200,000 new jobs, OR’s unemployment rate has dropped, and we’ve seen 89,000 Oregonians lifted out of poverty!”
After the State of the Union, Walden shared his thoughts in a YouTube video.
“Seldom have I seen a president do such a great job of putting human faces— real human faces—on the problems, challenges, and things to celebrate about America as President Trump did tonight,” said Walden. “He has a great story to tell when you look at the impact of his policies, the strength in our defense to take out terrorists, to rewrite trade agreements to make them better, to grow the American economy.”
“This president, and those of us who have supported his policies, are really making a difference, I think, for the country,” continued Walden. “We know that there’s work to do going forward. We know there are challenges our nation faces. But none we can’t overcome.”
Halfway through the State of the Union, Representative Suzanne Bonamici shared her reaction to President Donald Trump’s statements, specifically on the topic of public education. She stated, “The $5B/year they want to spend on [the Education Freedom Scholarships] program should go to public education.”
Representing Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, Peter DeFazio shared a photo of the pin he wore to the State of the Union and what it represented.
This report was written with contributions from the Associated Press.
