Savannah Hulsey Pointer, FISM News
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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is set to deliver a rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next week, according to The Hill.
Tlaib’s rebuttal to the address, usually only given by the opposite party, will be delivered on behalf of the Working Families Party and is expected to be a criticism of Republicans and some Democrats for keeping Biden’s social spending and climate package from passing Congress.
According to POLITICO, the liberal member of the ultra-progressive “Squad” is also planning to argue that liberals have pushed for the president’s agenda, according to an agenda of the speech shared with the news organization.
“It’s an honor to deliver the Working Families Party response to President Biden’s State of the Union, and I am especially excited to elevate the voices of the working-class residents in my district and across the nation,” Tlaib said in a statement. “It should not be this hard to deliver on healthcare, climate, housing, childcare, safety, voting rights, clean water and so much more.”
“Democrats are in the majority and must set a new course that moves with a sense of urgency. Our communities deserve for us to act now,” she added.
Progressives have been leading the way in the fight to deliver for working people and providing a vision in which everyone can thrive and not just survive.
Join Working Families Party for a #WFPResponse given by @RashidaTlaib.
RSVP here: https://t.co/WGR00JZPWd pic.twitter.com/n3SM5mTtRo
— Working Families Party 🐺 (@WorkingFamilies) February 23, 2022
The Republican rebuttal will be delivered by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Tlaib is a second-term congress member from Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, representing the district since 2019, and is running again for the redrawn 12th district following the retirement of current 12th district representative Brenda Lawrence.
According to The Political Insider, the Congresswoman is likely best known for calling former President Donald Trump a “mother f***er” following his election and has aligned herself with other progressives such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
This is not the first time the Working Families Party has offered a response to the State of The Union address. According to The Hill, Tlaib’s address will be the fifth time the party has responded, with Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) offering the speech in 2021 and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) in 2020.
“Rep. Tlaib is a fearless progressive who wakes up every day to fight for working people, and we’re thrilled for her to deliver the WFP State of the Union Response,” said Maurice Mitchell, the party’s director, in a statement. “Obstructionist Republicans and a handful of corporate Democrats have ground Washington to a standstill while child poverty spikes and costs continue to rise for housing, healthcare, and childcare.”
The president is expected to address the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inflation, and the Build Back Better legislation as well as voting rights and climate change, according to The Hill.