U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) was joined by Marci Owens, 17, in the Capitol for President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.
Owens was invited by Washington state’s senior senator to highlight the impact of Trump and Republicans’ plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act — a move Murray has labeled as “reckless” — as well as to denounce recent actions targeting transgender students.
Murray also asked Danni Askini to join as one of the founders and the current executive director of Gender Justice League and Trans Pride Seattle.
Murray released the following statement after President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress:
“President Trump has been in office for just over a month, and he has already broken the promises he’s made to put workers and the middle class first while doing exactly what he said he would do to divide our country, cause chaos and dysfunction across our government and in our communities, and help millionaires and billionaires like himself. The speech President Trump gave tonight was a clear indication that he plans to continue making empty promises while doubling down on policies and a budget that would hurt families, students, the economy, and our national security.
“I was proud to bring my constituent Marci Owens as my guest to the speech tonight. Marci fought for health care reform after her mom passed away, she stood next to President Obama when the ACA was signed into law, and she has continued to advocate for affordable health care as well as transgender rights. She is one of the many people in Washington state and across the country who are being targeted and hurt by President Trump’s divisive and harmful agenda, and she is someone I am proud to fight for and make sure has a voice here in Washington, D.C. She, and millions of others across the country, are standing up, speaking out, and fighting back — and I am proud to have her by my side.
“I am disappointed, but hardly surprised, that President Trump continues to demonize immigrants and refugees and pander to his extreme right-wing base. I will keep standing up and speaking out against un-American and unconstitutional policies to ban Muslims and tear apart immigrant families that do nothing to truly keep us safe or help us fight terrorists.
“Coming out of this speech tonight, I remain committed to fighting back as hard as I can against President Trump’s attempts to hurt families and communities in Washington state and across the country. Democrats, Republicans, and independents across this country want their elected officials to be working together to grow our economy and help the middle class — and I am going to keep working with anyone willing to stand with me to fight back against President Trump’s hateful and damaging policies and get that done.”
