Xavier Becerra in 2019 State of the Union address


On Foreign Policy: The world needs the United States strong and ready

During 24 years of service as a member of Congress, I learned much about our great country and I worked with three different presidents. And, now, as Attorney General, I defend and advocate for the rights of millions of Americans here in California and, by extension, throughout the United States.

Allow me an obvious observation: There is no other country like the United States.

The world needs us strong and ready. The world looks to us as a leader and partner. If America falls, everyone gets hurt.

Source: Democratic Spanish response to the 2019 State of the Union Feb 5, 2019

On Government Reform: Overcome voting barriers by getting out to vote

The wall on the border is not the only wall that this Administration is trying to build:

The Trump Administration--they are putting a wall between you and the voting booth. But I have news for you here: They failed! During the November elections, Latinos, especially young people, came out to vote in historic numbers!

You don't believe me? With your votes last November, you changed the composition of Congress. The votes of congress members the President relied on, he no longer has them.

Source: Democratic Spanish response to the 2019 State of the Union Feb 5, 2019

On Gun Control: Protect our families from the violent use of firearms

Your vote in November changed the votes in Congress. And that has changed the politics of our nation. Now that you see your power, are you ready to open new doors?

Don't you think that it is already the time that we in our government build schools, not walls? Then, get those hands ready to vote in the next election! Imagine if we had the power to decide this nation's political agenda.

This was not the agenda presented by the President. But these are the solutions that open the doors of opportunity.
Source: Democratic Spanish response to the 2019 State of the Union Feb 5, 2019

On Health Care: Latinos are the protagonists in protecting ObamaCare

In the courts and in Congress, we have to fight for our agenda. I have fought as Attorney General in court against the President's Administration and we are winning!
  1. In protecting the DACA program, we fought and won for 700,000 young people.
  2. In protecting the Affordable Care Act, we are the protagonists. More than four million Latinos depend on the ACA for their health insurance.
  3. In protecting college students against fraudulent loans, we fought and won for thousands of them.
Source: Democratic Spanish response to the 2019 State of the Union Feb 5, 2019

On Homeland Security: Remove barriers for veterans seeking medical services

The wall on the border is not the only wall that we are seeing that this Administration is trying to build:

The Trump Administration are also putting a wall between our veterans and their medical services. They are ready to waste millions of dollars on a border wall instead of helping our veterans who deal with long delays in hospitals.

Source: Democratic Spanish response to the 2019 State of the Union Feb 5, 2019

On Immigration: Parents put faith in US system when immigrating from Mexico

I am the son of working immigrants and the first in my family to walk through the doors of a university, and through the doors of opportunity.

My parents began their life together in the United States for the same reason that many people come to this country: to work hard and give their children a better life. Upon leaving Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, they brought with them their faith and not much else. They trusted in the promise of this country that all those who work hard and play by the rules, have earned the opportunity to get ahead.

I know I am the product of those who fought to open the doors of opportunity. The optimism--that characterizes the waves of immigrants who have come here-- runs through my blood. And if the state of our nation can be characterized as "strong," it is because people like my parents and yours--citizens or immigrants--built this country.

Source: Democratic Spanish response to the 2019 State of the Union Feb 5, 2019

On Immigration: Experts don't want an extravagant wall along the border

The state of our union decides destinies. How can it be, then, that our young, rich, and strong nation finds itself in a state of disorder, stress, hostility?

How can it be that what defines the state of our country in 2019 is the shutdown of the government at the hands President Trump?

Who would believe that the state of our union would be propelled by President Trump's extravagant obsession to build a wall on the border that not even the experts want? The President no longer even repeats his promise that Mexico will pay for the thousands of millions of dollars that the wall would cost.

And if all that were not enough to worry us, how can it be explained that our nation lives under an intense investigation about Russian interference in our 2016 presidential elections?

Tonight was about convincing us that, from here on out, the deceit and dysfunction would stop and that cooperation would begin. What we heard was the same tired refrain of building walls.

Source: Democratic Spanish response to the 2019 State of the Union Feb 5, 2019

The above quotations are from 2019 State of the Union address to Congress, plus the Democratic response, Feb. 6, 2019.
Click here for other excerpts from 2019 State of the Union address to Congress, plus the Democratic response, Feb. 6, 2019.
Click here for other excerpts by Xavier Becerra.
Click here for a profile of Xavier Becerra.
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: May 25, 2020