'That American Dream Is Under Attack': Krishnamoorthi Skewers Trump Over Department of Education Cuts

5 months ago

During the Illinois County Chairs' Association Brunch on Wednesday, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) said President Trump's Attacks On The Department of Education are making it harder for people to achieve the American dream.

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00:00Good morning Democrats. I'm Congressman Rajak Krishnamoorthy. I want to observe those three

00:07rules of public speaking. Be short, be sweet, and be gone. Three points. First of all,

00:14can you give a big round of applause to Mark Gately and the IDDCA for doing what they did

00:20today, putting on this tremendous event. It's an honor to serve with you, Mark.

00:28Second point. Can you give a big round of applause to Dick Durbin, J.B. Pritzker,

00:35Tammy Duckworth, and my own leader in Congress, Hakeem Jeffries.

00:39They are dedicated, courageous public servants. It's an honor to serve under you. Third and final

00:51point. I am proud to be a Democrat. How about you? I'm proud because of my personal story.

01:00As many of you know, I came to this country when I was three months old. Unfortunately,

01:05things did not go well initially. My father lost his income, but thanks to the generosity

01:11of the American people, we were allowed to move into public housing and food stamps.

01:15Eventually, my father made it on his feet and then made his way to, of all places, Peoria, Illinois.

01:25That's where we entered the middle class. And every single night at the dinner table,

01:29my father would say, think of the greatness of this country. Think of the greatness of

01:35this country. And whatever the two of you do, my brother and me, just make sure it's there

01:39for the next families who need it. That became my mission statement. So fast forward through

01:46college and law school stints in the public and private sector here in Illinois. I got elected

01:51to my current position in Congress and five terms later, I'm still pursuing that mission statement.

01:58Make sure this country is there for the next families who need it. Period. End of story.

02:04That is my why. But that American dream is under attack. Just look at my personal story. That

02:16legal immigration system that enabled my family and me to immigrate here is being dismantled

02:22every single day. That public housing and food stamps is on the chopping block now. And the public

02:29schools in Peoria that enabled us a gateway to the American dream are under assault as the

02:35Trump administration actually seeks to close the department of education.

02:42And so the question is this before us, what kind of a government do we want? What kind of

02:48a government do we want? Do we want one that's there for those fighting to make it or one that's

02:55there for those who have it made? I know my answer. We always want a government that is trying

03:04to cultivate and nourish the American dream for everyone, regardless of whether you're working

03:10poor, middle class, growing a business. Are you with me? And regardless of the color of your skin,

03:21where you come from, how you pray, whom you love, or the number of letters in your name,

03:28there are 29 in mine. And so now I seek the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate

03:38to preserve the American dream from attack by a Trump administration, bent on making sure

03:46that people are held down and not being able to reach their full potential. I seek your support.

03:55I am honored to be here. And I close with my favorite saying yesterday is history. Tomorrow's a mystery,

04:02but today's a gift. That's why we call it the present. I am honored and blessed to be with you

04:07to celebrate the IDCCA, to celebrate all of our Democrats and to celebrate how we are going to

04:15make America and the world a better place. Thank you so much. And God bless all of you. Thank you.

'That American Dream Is Under Attack': Krishnamoorthi Skewers Trump Over Department of Education Cuts

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