Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Alaska congressional delegation praises Trump speech
Alaska's three members of Congress released statements in support of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday evening.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski noted the overall message of the speech, urging bipartisan work to address some of the issues Trump identified as important, was a much-needed theme based on the current political climate.
“The president’s address to the nation was designed to encourage, to be uplifting. He began with a message to us in the Congress to come together, to collaborate, to cooperate, to compromise. And I think it’s important to recognize that that’s an important message that we hear at this time," Murkowski said in a video response to the speech.
During his speech, Trump introduced three World War II veterans as well as Buzz Aldrin, the astronaut who placed the American flag on the Moon in 1969.
“I think it was also important to remind us the greatness of who we are as a nation," Murkowski said. "I think sometimes we get so bogged down in the day-to-day. We get caught up in the tweet of the moment and just some of the negativity that comes with politics. It’s important to remember who we are as Americans and the greatness that we are.”
Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan celebrated the president's nod to military achievements and veterans issues.
"Overall I thought the president's speech was a unifying and uplifting one. He looked at where we've been in the last two years and I think it's an important story to tell," Sullivan said in a video. "He even did a shoutout to missile defense which, of course, our state is the cornerstone of missile defense for the entire nation."
Republican Rep. Don Young took the opportunity in responding to the address to point the finger at Democrats regarding border security.
"I think the president is right, and the ironic part about this is if you go back through history you'll know that this is what President Obama proposed, it's what very frankly Nancy Pelosi voted for, it's what Chuck Schumer voted for, but now because it's President Trump's program, it's a bad thing," Young said in a video response to the speech. "I think that's very short-sighted and in fact I'm very disappointed in their attitude towards this nation as a whole."
Young expressed a concern that partisan disputes will continue.
"I'm not confident that there will be a solution because everything that President Trump tries to do is looked upon as being evil. That's not true, so I would suggest respectfully the Democrat Party, the Democrats themselves, better wake up," Young said. "If they think this problem of migration is going to go away arbitrarily or by a magic wand, it's not. It's going to be coming and actively affecting this country in many different ways that are not positive."
By: Erin McGroarty
Source: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
