Sen. Franken Responds To President Trump

After President Trump address to a joint session of Congress Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn) issued the following statement.

“It’s no secret I disagree with President Trump on a lot of issues and with a lot of what he’s done in the first weeks of his administration. And there are several things he outlined in tonight’s address that concern me.

 “For instance, I strongly believe that we shouldn’t repeal the Affordable Care Act, especially given that Republicans have no plan to help the tens of millions of Americans who would be hurt by ripping up the ACA.  In tonight’s remarks, the President again failed to offer any specifics about what a replacement plan would look like.  We should be building on the successes of the ACA and working to make fixes where things should be working better.

 “And we shouldn’t be pursuing draconian and dangerous immigration policies that rip families apart, including refugees fleeing war and terror.

 “Yet despite our many disagreements, I will continue looking for ways to work with the President, and he offered some areas where I believe we may be able to find common ground.

 “Tonight I brought VFW State Commander Joe Mauricio to the President’s address because I want to highlight the needs of our servicemembers and veterans. I’m glad that the President mentioned them in his remarks, and I hope he will keep them in mind when he has to make decisions that affect foreign policy and the lives of veterans.

 “I was also heartened to hear the President convey that he understands the importance of using steel made here in America.

 “I’d also like to find common ground with the President on job training, which is a great way to help people of all ages find careers in areas like manufacturing, health care, IT, and energy. I’ve made workforce development a priority during my time in the Senate, which is why I’ll be reintroducing my legislation to create job-training partnerships between two-year schools and local businesses. I’m going to be pushing Congress and the President to pass my bill because it’s exactly the type of thing we should be doing to energize the economy.

 “I’m going to keep doing my job the same way I always have, working to make progress for the people of Minnesota wherever I can. Because no matter what the Trump administration does, and no matter how divisive Washington may be, I’ll always put our state first — and I’ll never stop fighting for Minnesota.”