“America’s moms want a leader who recognizes our contributions and our struggles – and acts to make our families stronger and more successful.  Moms know what research shows: When we make families stronger and more successful, we make our economy and our country stronger and more successful, too. But that will only happen when child and elder care are affordable; when wages are fair; when paid family and medical leave is available to all; and when we invest in schools, food and nutrition, and quality health care, including maternal and reproductive care. It will only happen when the wealthiest among us pay their fair share in taxes; and when we invest in communities and dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline. It will only happen when we acknowledge the contributions and respect the human and constitutional rights of our immigrant friends and neighbors, who power our care workforce and our health system.

“Moms don’t want to hear a President who has utterly failed to make our lives affordable take another wholly undeserved victory lap about the economy. In fact, President Trump’s illegal tariffs have driven up prices and forced tens of millions of moms and families to struggle simply to buy groceries, pay the rent, and afford health care. Moms don’t want to hear the President lie and brag about his cruel, inhumane immigration enforcement, which is terrifying hardworking, taxpaying immigrants, traumatizing the nation’s children, separating families, and undermining our care workforce and our economy. And moms don’t want to hear President Trump’s unhinged lies about elections he lost, used to try to justify voter suppression proposals that would deny us free and fair elections.

“One year into this term, America’s moms recognize President Trump as a failed President who, aided and abetted by Republicans in Congress, has made our lives immeasurably more difficult. The state of our union is alarming.. Moms, children, and families deserve better in the months and years ahead.”

NOTE: MomsRising member Vonetta Rougier, a Brooklyn-based mom of three and family caregiver who works full-time as a bus operator, is scheduled to be a guest of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the State of the Union address tomorrow evening. Rougier is a sandwich generation caregiver who supports her mother, a retired nurse who lives with her, and her three children, including her 21-year-old daughter who has Down Syndrome. Medicaid is critical for her mother’s and her daughter's care, and she worries how cuts will impact her family. Recently, due to rising costs, Rougier has needed to take on more overtime shifts, which means she has less time with her family. She says retirement isn't in the cards for her and "the stressors are different when you have an adult child with special needs."