SOTU split: praise, criticism from Oregon lawmakers

President Trump addressed the nation on a variety of topics in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, stressing unity and bipartisanship, but drawing a predictable division: Criticism from Oregon’s Democratic lawmakers and praise from the lone Republican in the delegation.

“President Trump delivered a speech tonight that was virtually devoid of substance,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said in a post-speech statement.

“There was the long-awaited infrastructure plan which, instead of truly investing in our nation’s future and its infrastructure, leaves rural America behind, puts local taxpayers on the hook, and leaves our communities hostage to highway robbery from Wall Street,” Merkley said. “If the president has his way, instead of the Eisenhower Interstate System, Americans should get ready for ‘Trump Tolls.’

“And Trump’s remarks did little to allay the concerns of our nation’s 800,000 DREAMers. Instead of recognizing the real human toll of his actions against DACA recipients, Trump has turned the lives of DREAMers into bargaining chips for a $25 billion slush fund to build his border wall, and extreme right-wing immigration ideas that would cut legal immigration in half.

“I was honored to have Leonardo Reyes, an Oregon DREAMer, as my guest in the House Chamber tonight. Leo came to America when he was ten. He grew up here, went to school here, built a life here, and now works for the state of Oregon trying to give back to the community he calls home. He is an inspiration to me and should be to all Americans. Americans support restoring legal status to our DREAMers. We have a bipartisan bill on the table. President Trump just needs to get to ‘yes.’

“America was founded as a nation for ‘We the People,’ not ‘We the Powerful.’ Under Trump, the state of our union is moving further and further from this founding vision–but each of us has the power to help our country change course, to reembrace our founding ideals of equality and opportunity, and create an economy that works for working Americans. Trump’s speech tonight made it even clearer than ever before: It’s time for ‘We the People’ grassroots America to rise up, get involved, and take our country back in 2018.”

Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also issued statements following the president’s speech.

Walden said he thought it was important the president talked about taking better care of veterans and the “right to try” for patients who are looking for final alternatives to save their lives.

“I think it was important he talked about the economy and the growth we are seeing in every sector in the low unemployment rates,” Walden said. “These are very important to working Americans, and I think we have a great opportunity going forward to work together in a bipartisan way to solve our immigration and border security issues, to solve the opioid epidemic and to do so much more for our veterans and our economy.”

However, Wyden said the president failed to mention how his past plans brought on a lot of new budget debt.

He also said the president promises to put middle-class Americans first, but did not, and has not followed through.

“The president just named a price-hiking pharmaceutical executive to head the Department of Health and Human Services,” Wyden said. “That’s why he gave the tax relief to the multinational corporations, and why it’s a whole lot harder for us to get the money for the roads, and bridges and transportation systems the middle class needs so desperately.”

Lawmakers continue to wrestle over a decision on the DACA program, with a deadline fast approaching.

The criticism began well before he traveled to Capitol Hill.

Merkley spoke with NewsChannel 21 earlier Tuesday. He said the president’s tax bill was not a reform. He said it created an incentive for moving jobs overseas and the money did no go where it could help people the most.

He also said the president’s reaction to the FBI investigation shows how stressed he is about the inquiries into his campaign’s relationship with Russia.

Merkley also touched on a bipartisan bill, that would be the foundation to restore the legal status for the so-called “DREAMers.”

Trump has placed conditions on the bill, including a $25 billion border security funding deal.

“We have, in Oregon, about 11,000 young men and women that would be affected. They are productive members of our community and they have gone through our grade schools, our high schools, our colleges, and many of them are working,” Merkley said. “It’s time for the president to recognize bipartisanship, both here on Capitol Hill, and across America, where 80 percent of Americans support restoring legal status.”

Reyes, Merkley’s guest, is the co-founder of the Oregon DACA Coalition.

Reyes said while it is difficult to attend the State of the Union, he believes it is important to keep fighting and keep moving forward.

“I decided to come because I wanted our Congress and our president to be reminded that there are very real people behind this piece of legislation,” Reyes said. “The Dream Act is necessary to people back at home, back in Oregon. Their lives are in the balance and their lives are at stake here.”