“Walking Out was Good Trouble, Standing Up for The People is Necessary Trouble”

Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) released the following statement after walking out of President Donald Trump’s Joint Session of Congress address.

Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) said: 

“I walked out because I refuse to sit through yet another one of Donald Trump’s lie-filled speeches as he plays in the faces of the American people. His actions threaten to rip food from the tables of families who rely on SNAP, gut Medicaid for those who need it most, and he’s already put federal workers—many of them in my district—on the chopping block. The CDC, headquartered in Atlanta, is already facing staffing shortages, and his reckless cuts put public health at risk. I took an Oath to the Constitution, not Donald Trump. I will continue to fight for the people and that means calling out Trump’s abuse of power and making it clear: Democrats won’t back down.” 

The Democrats who hit Trump in his sore spot, bruising his ego and unquenchable need for attention, issued a joint statement:

“We the undersigned and duly elected Members of Congress have to make ourselves heard in a way that breaks through in times like these. There’s no point in hearing Trump’s speech because he never does what he says he’ll do and he lies about his actions to Congress and the public.

“The President wants to erase all of the progress our country has made since the Great Depression – everything our grandparents overcame, fought, marched, and died for. He is dismantling the Constitution one amendment and ten rights at a time.

“Our forefathers defeated the Nazi’s. They laid down their lives in Korea, Vietnam, and during the Cold War to stop the spread of communism — meanwhile Trump cozies up to Russia and China while turning his back on our allies and putting thousands of US veterans on the street. He’s rolling back laws that protect consumers and Main Street from the big banks and Wall Street.

“Trump continues to create a hostile work environment for federal employees and is laying off essential personnel at the VA, air traffic control, and food safety inspections among many other key roles that keep Americans safe and healthy.

“We will not normalize this, in fact we will fight back in each and every way this moment demands. The future of America is on the line. House Democrats are dug in and ready. Now it’s up to the American people to decide — do we roll back or press forward?”