Great points by Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) – see below for a transcript and video (bolding added by me for emphasis of some key points).
- “What my colleague from Louisiana said is not consistent with what I’m actually seeing and hearing on the ground here in Virginia – not just in my district, but across the entire Commonwealth. Let’s start with education. School starts in three weeks here and our schools have been waiting for that grant money to help fill in gaps so they can be prepared for the students to come in and they’re worried. I’ve spoken to my local and state officials. They cannot fill the gaps left by the Department of Education if it is dismantled or defunded. They’re already struggling with the workforce cuts as particularly around dealing with students with disabilities and making sure they have the resources that they need to learn. That’s why the department was created…to fill in these gaps on the tariffs. My farmers are scared. My farmers, most of them here are small and family-owned farms, they have seen their costs rise, they are worried about the ability to export, particularly soy and corn, to other countries, as when the last time there was a trade war, Brazil began to eat into their their exports. So they’re worried and they’re strapped and they’re waiting for a farm bill that Congress has not even begun to address. And so what I’m hearing on the ground from my small business owners, whether it’s the bridal shop owner who has seen dresses go up 20% in some cases, they’re all feeling the pain now. They’re feeling the anxiety around lack of certainty now. And they’re being pinched now. They’re seeing their costs continue to rise and the president hasn’t done anything about that. And with the big ugly bill that just passed, health care costs, energy costs are all about to go up, while we are seeing energy jobs go away as the president and congressional Republicans kneecap the cleanest, fastest, and cheapest energy that we can get on the grid to meet demand.”
- “We need certainty quickly. We need the these tariff wars to end. But part of our issue here in Virginia is not just about the tariffs and the trade policy. We have the second-highest number of federal employees. And Virginia is the only state where our unemployment rose in June. That is directly because of the federal workforce cuts and that is impacting our state economy…and again the bill that passed, the big ugly bill and the changes to Medicaid, are blowing a hole in our state budget that our state and local governments are worried that they’re going to either have to raise taxes on their own or significantly cut services. And our General Assembly is talking about a special session to deal with that in September. And so there’s a lot of anxiety and pain here in Virginia all across the state, in Democratic and Republican areas. And that’s why we see the president’s approval rating across the board tanking, particularly on issues that he thinks he’s strong on, like the economy and immigration.”
- “So, two points that are really important to make. State and local governments are not required by law to enforce immigration laws. That’s the federal government’s job. State and local governments have a lot on their plate already. But what we are seeing here in Virginia, here in my district from these crackdowns with ICE raiding courthouses and public spaces, it is starting to impact public safety. My prosecutors, my sheriffs, and my police chiefs have seen a precipitous drop in calls to 911, particularly in immigrant communities, particularly in domestic violence cases. People are not willing to report crimes. They’re not willing to cooperate with police. They’re not willing to be witnesses and testify in any cases. And my law enforcement is starting to see that and is worried that the trust that they had built across communities with citizens and non-citizens all across the region has broken down and it is impacting public safety.”
- “…I think all Democrats should be in front of young people right now because they’re not just our future, they’re the present of the party and our government. And if you look at from our founding, every critical moment in American history, particularly when we have made progress towards making the ideals upon which this country was founded true for everybody, young people have been at the forefront. And as John Lewis said, who we just commemorated the fifth anniversary of his passing, democracy is not a state, it is an act that requires every generation to do its part to build the beloved community. And so we need all young people to have a seat at the table and to be engaged. And every Democrat, no matter where they are on the spectrum, no matter who they are, should be speaking to Gen Z as well as every generation to do our part to build a stronger America.”
- “...a big reason why we see these [low poll] numbers [for Democrats] is because Democrats have not done as good a job in the past few years of reaching every voter in every community where they are, how they receive their information. And we’re beginning to do that. And I think it’s important that first we listen and we talk with voters about the issues that they care about and that we present solutions on how we’re going to address those issues. And we are doing that. And so, you know, we’ve got a lot of work to do to rebuild that trust, but it all starts with reaching out into every community, leaving no one behind and bringing them along with us to build a better America.”
