00:00Welcome to historic Williamsburg.
00:02We are gathered here in the chambers of the House of Burgesses.
00:06In 1705, the people of the Virginia colony gathered here to take on the extraordinary
00:12task of governing themselves.
00:15Before there was a Declaration of Independence, a Constitution, or a Bill of Rights, there
00:20were people in this room.
00:23The people who served here ultimately dreamed of what a new nation, unlike anything the
00:29world had ever seen could be.
00:31The United States was founded on the idea that ordinary people could reject the unacceptable
00:38excesses of poor leadership, band together to demand better of their government, and
00:44create a nation that would be an example for the world.
00:52And this year, as we celebrate 250 years since America declared our independence from tyranny,
01:01I can think of no better place to speak to you as we reflect on the current state of our
01:07union.
01:08Tonight, as we watched our nation's lawmakers gather for a joint session of Congress, we
01:15did not hear the truth from our President.
01:18So let's speak plainly and honestly.
01:21And let me ask you, the American people watching at home, three questions.
01:26Is the President working to make life more affordable for you and your family?
01:32Is the President working to keep Americans safe both at home and abroad?
01:38Is the President working for you?
01:42As I campaigned for governor last year, I traveled to every corner of Virginia, and I heard the
01:48same pressing concern everywhere.
01:50Costs are too high in housing, health care, energy, and child care.
01:56And I know these same conversations are being had all across this country.
02:02Because since this President took office last year, his reckless trade policies have forced
02:09American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs.
02:14Small businesses have suffered, farmers have suffered, some losing entire markets.
02:21Everyday Americans are paying the price.
02:24And even though the Supreme Court struck these tariffs down four days ago, the damage to us,
02:30the American people, has already been done.
02:34Meanwhile, the President is planning for new tariffs, another massive tax hike on you and
02:41your family.
02:42And Republicans in Congress?
02:44They remain unwilling to assert their constitutional authority to stop him.
02:50They're making your life harder.
02:52They're making your life more expensive.
02:54They're even making it more difficult to see a doctor.
02:58Rural health clinics in Virginia and across the country are already closing their doors thanks
03:04to the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill, championed by the President and Republicans in Congress.
03:10And tonight, the President celebrated this law, the one threatening rural hospitals, stripping
03:17health care from millions of Americans and driving up costs in energy and housing, all while cutting
03:24food programs for hungry kids.
03:26But here in Virginia, I am working with our state legislature to lower costs and make the commonwealth more affordable.
03:38And it's not just me.
03:39Democrats across the country are laser focused on affordability in our nation's capital and in state capitals and communities across
03:48America.
03:49In the most innovative and exceptional nation in the history of the world, Americans deserve to know that their leaders
03:57are focused on addressing the problems that keep them up at night.
04:01Problems that dictate where you live, whether you can afford to start a business or whether you have to skip
04:07a prescription in order to buy groceries.
04:11So I'll ask again, is the President working to make life more affordable for you and your family?
04:19We all know the answer is no.
04:23I grew up in a house of service.
04:25My mother was a nurse and my father was a career law enforcement officer.
04:29I began my career by following in my father's footsteps as a federal agent working money laundering and narcotics cases.
04:37I worked side by side with local and state police to keep our community safe and to uphold and enforce
04:44the law.
04:45Law enforcement officers across the country know that it is a unique responsibility to do the serious work of investigating
04:53crimes, comforting victims and making arrests.
04:57It's about building trust and that requires an abiding sense of duty and commitment to community and yet our president
05:07has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who
05:16aspire to be Americans and they have done it without a warrant.
05:20They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies, they have sent children, a little boy in a blue bunny
05:29hat, children to far off detention centers, and they have killed American citizens in our streets.
05:41Every minute spent sowing fear is a minute not spent investigating murders, crimes against children, or the criminals defrauding seniors
05:50of their life savings.
05:51Our president told us tonight that we are safer because these agents arrest mothers and detain children.
06:00Think about that.
06:01Our broken immigration system is something to be fixed, not an excuse for unaccountable agents to terrorize our communities.
06:16After working in law enforcement, I continued my career of service as a CIA officer, working undercover to protect the
06:24United States and our allies from global threats, terrorism, nuclear weapons, and the aggression of adversarial nations around the globe.
06:32But as the president spoke of his perceived successes tonight, he continues to cede economic power and technological strength to
06:41Russia, bow down to China, bow down to a Russian dictator, and make plans for war with Iran.
06:50Here's the truth.
06:51Over the last year, through doge, mass firings, and the appointment of deeply unserious people to our nation's most serious
07:00positions,
07:00our president has endangered the long and storied history of the United States of America being a force for good.
07:10So I'll ask again, is the president working to keep Americans safe, both at home and abroad?
07:17We all know the answer is no.
07:20In his speech tonight, the president did what he always does.
07:24He lied, he scapegoated, and he distracted, and he offered no real solutions to our nation's pressing challenges.
07:33So many of which he is actively making worse.
07:37He tries to divide us, he tries to enrage us, to pit us against one another, neighbor against neighbor.
07:45And sometimes he succeeds.
07:47And so you have to ask, who benefits from his rhetoric, his policies, his actions, the short list of laws
07:54he's pushed through this Republican Congress?
07:57Somebody must be benefiting.
08:00He's enriching himself, his family, his friends.
08:04The scale of the corruption is unprecedented.
08:07There's the cover-up of the Epstein files, the crypto scams, cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires
08:15for ballrooms,
08:16putting his name and face on buildings all over our nation's capital.
08:22This is not what our founders envisioned, not by a long shot.
08:32So I'll ask again, is the president working for you?
08:36We all know the answer is no.
08:40But here's the special thing about America.
08:43On our 250th anniversary, we know better than any nation what is possible
08:50when ordinary citizens, like those who once dreamed right here in this room, reject the unacceptable and demand more of
09:00their government.
09:01We see it in the determination of students organizing school walkouts all across the country,
09:08whose voices are becoming so powerful that the governor of Texas seeks to silence them.
09:14We see it in the bravery of Americans in Minnesota standing up for their communities,
09:20from peacefully protesting in sub-zero temperatures to carpooling children to school
09:26so that their immigrant parents are not ripped away from them in the parking lot.
09:32As a mother of three school-aged daughters, I am inspired by their bravery.
09:38But I am sickened that it is necessary.
09:40And Americans across the country are taking action.
09:45They are going to the ballot box to reject this chaos.
09:49With their votes, they are writing a new story, a more hopeful story.
09:55In November, I won my election by 15 points.
10:03And we won 13 new seats in our state legislature.
10:11Because voters decided they wanted something different.
10:15Our campaign earned votes from Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and everyone in between.
10:21Because they knew as citizens they could demand more.
10:25That they could vote for what they believe matters.
10:28And that they didn't need to be constrained by a party or political affiliation.
10:33This is happening across the country.
10:36New Jersey elected Mikey Sherrill as governor in a double-digit victory.
10:45Democrats flip state legislative seats in places like Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, and Texas.
10:51The list goes on and on.
10:54Ordinary Americans are stepping up to run in the spirit of our forefathers.
10:59They are running to demand more and to do more for their neighbors and communities.
11:05I know the story well.
11:07I first ran for office in 2018 alongside dozens of other Democrats who did the seemingly impossible.
11:15Flipping 41 seats in Congress.
11:19In my case, I was the first Democrat elected in 50 years, swinging our district 17 points.
11:26Those who are stepping up now to run will win in November.
11:31Because Americans, you at home, know you can demand more.
11:37And that we are working to lower costs.
11:40We are working to keep our communities and our country safe.
11:43And we are working for you.
11:50In his farewell address, George Washington warned us about the possibility of, quote,
11:57cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men rising to power.
12:01But he also encouraged us, all Americans, to unite in a common cause, to move this nation forward.
12:10That is our charge once more.
12:12And that is what we are seeing across the country.
12:16It is deeply American and patriotic to do so.
12:19And it is how we ensure that the state of our union remains strong.
12:24Not just this year, but for the next 250 years as well.
12:29Because we, the people, have the power to make change.
12:32The power to stand up for what is right.
12:35The power to demand more of our nation.
12:43May God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia.
12:46And may God bless the United States of America.
12:49Thank you very much.
Comments