Steve Beshear in 2017 State of the Union address
On Budget & Economy:
Balance budget and create opportunity for every American
We balanced our budget and turned deficits into surpluses, without raising taxes. We did that through trust and mutual respect. I listened. And I built partnerships with business leaders and with Republicans in our legislature. We put people first and
politics second. And we Democrats are committed to creating the opportunity for every American to succeed by growing our economy with good paying jobs, educating and training our people to fill those jobs, giving our businesses the freedom to
innovate, keeping our country safe and providing health care that families can afford and rely on.
Mr. President, as a candidate, you promised to be a champion for
families struggling to make ends meet and I hope you live up to that promise. But one of your very first executive orders makes it harder for those families to even afford a mortgage.
Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
Feb 28, 2017
On Corporations:
Be people's champion, not Wall Street's champion
Mr. President, as a candidate, you promised to be a champion for families struggling to make ends meet and I hope you live up to that promise. But one of your very first executive orders makes it harder for those families to even afford a mortgage.
Then you started rolling back rules that provide oversight of the financial industry and safeguard us against another national economic meltdown.
And you picked a Cabinet of billionaires and Wall Street insiders who want to eviscerate the protections that most Americans count on and that help level the playing field.
That's not being our champion, that's being Wall Street's champion. And even more troubling, you and your Republican allies in Congress seem determined to rip affordable health insurance away from millions of Americans who most need it.
Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
Feb 28, 2017
On Foreign Policy:
Moral obligation to help those fleeing war and terror
President Trump's approach makes us less safe and should worry every freedom-loving American. President Trump has all but declared war on refugees and immigrants. Look, the president can and should enforce our immigration laws, but we can protect
America without abandoning our principles and our moral obligation to help those fleeing war and terror, without tearing families apart and without needlessly jeopardizing our military men and women fighting overseas.
Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
Feb 28, 2017
On Government Reform:
I cut my own pay and we balanced our budget
I was Governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015. Now, I'm a private citizen. I grew up in Kentucky in a small town called Dawson Springs. My dad and granddad were Baptist preachers. My family owned a funeral home and my wife Jane and
I have been married for almost 50 years. I became governor at the start of the global recession and after eight years, we left things a lot better than we found them.
By being fiscally responsible--I even cut my own pay--we balanced our budget and turned deficits into surpluses, without raising taxes.
We cut our unemployment rate in half. We made huge gains in high school graduation rates and we found health coverage for over half a million Kentuckians.
Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
Feb 28, 2017
On Health Care:
ObamaCare is life and death for people, but needs repairs
Mr. President, you and your Republican allies in Congress seem determined to rip affordable health insurance away from millions of Americans who most need it. Does the Affordable Care Act needs some repairs? Sure it does. But so far, every Republican
idea to replace the Affordable Care Act would reduce the number of Americans covered, despite your promises to the contrary.Mr. President, folks here in in Kentucky expect you to keep your word, because this isn't a game, it's life & death for people.
These ideas promise access to care, but deny the importance of making care affordable and effective. They would charge families more for fewer benefits and put the insurance companies back in control.
Behind these ideas is the belief that folks at the lower end of the economic ladder just don't deserve health care. That it is somehow their fault that their employer doesn't offer insurance. But these 22 million Americans are our friends and neighbors.
Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
Feb 28, 2017
On War & Peace:
Russia is not our friend; don't ignore serious threats
A commitment now being tested is to our national security. Look, make no mistake, I am a military veteran myself and I know that protecting America is a president's highest duty.
Yet President Trump is ignoring serious threats to our national security from Russia, who is not our friend, while alienating our allies who fought with this side-by-side and are our friends in a dangerous world.
Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
Feb 28, 2017
Page last updated: Jan 18, 2020