WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Sewell (AL-07) released the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union address:

“The President’s promises of bipartisanship and unity tonight ring hollow. Actions speak louder than words.

“Over and over, the Trump administration has pursued divisive and destructive policies that have failed the middle class. The President has attacked people with pre-existing conditions and American’s right to health care. He has put corporate interests above those of working families by passing the GOP tax scam and denying federal workers their hard-earned paychecks during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Day in and day out, the President has sowed a culture of fear and falsehoods and put his own personal interests above those of the American people.

“I am fighting every day to bring more opportunities and high-paying jobs to Alabama and I am proud to work with my colleagues this Congress on a bold agenda to deliver real results for the people of Alabama’s 7^th District in a transparent, bipartisan and unifying way.

Sewell also addressed Stacey Abrams’ delivery of the Democratic response to the president’s speech:

“Stacey Abrams’ response to the State of the Union is historic – she is the first black woman to ever give a response to the president’s speech. As a young, black female, Stacey is truly the embodiment of the voters who made their voices heard in the 2018 election,” Sewell said. “Her vision for a brighter America stood in stark contrast to President Trump’s divisive rhetoric.”

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In honor of the record number of women serving in the 116^th Congress, Sewell joined many of her colleagues in wearing “suffragette white” to the President’s address. Not only are there 127 current female members of Congress, the 535 members of the 116^th Congress make up the most diverse congressional class in history.