FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: bowman.press@mail.house.gov  

 WASHINGTON DC – In response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D (NY-16) released the following statement: 

“President Biden’s State of the Union was a brief and strong summary of the work we have accomplished this past year and a clear message on the path forward for many issues. 

“I was heartened to hear President Biden call for higher teacher pay, greater access to mental health care at school, restoring the full Child Tax Credit, guaranteeing paid family leave and ensuring corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes – issues that I have proudly led on in Congress. His remarks on the dangers of social media for our youth and the need to offer comprehensive mental health care for our veterans were also spot on. 

“And as a frequent traveler between Yonkers and DC, I was grateful to hear Biden’s support for the No Junk Fees Act – a bill to crackdown on the hidden fees that plague the ticketing system in the travel, sporting, and music industries. 

“His address was also a reminder of all the work that we have left to fulfill. And the steps we have left to take to come together to make economic and racial justice for America’s forgotten communities a reality. 

“The truth is that our communities are hurting. Costs are skyrocketing while wages are flat and low. Folks in my district and across the country are being kicked out of their homes because of price gouging from corporate landlords. Families are struggling under the weight of student and medical debt because they had the nerve to attend college or visit the doctor. And an even greater number of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck – unable to afford a one hundred dollar surprise bill. 

“As an educator, I know that our educators and our students are also hurting. Schools are crumbling and underfunded. Students are forgoing higher education because they simply can’t afford it. It is a crisis. As President Biden said tonight, quoting his wife First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, “any country that outeducates us, outcompetes us.” We need to make sure our public education is top of the line. It’s a moral issue, as well as a strategic one. 

“And as a Black man in America, I know that our Black brothers and sisters are not just hurting, they are dying. President Biden spoke about the talk Black parents have with their children – the same talk that I’ve had with my children – but why is it that in 2023, 30 years since the Rodney King beating and a couple years out from the largest protest movement that this country has ever seen, I have to still have this conversation because Congress has not acted.  

“While President Biden’s remarks on many policies were surprisingly on point, we didn’t hear enough on immigrant justice. Immigration is a humanitarian issue that deserves the same holistic and compassionate lens that the President afforded every issue he discussed.  We need comprehensive immigration reform and to protect and support asylum seekers. The Republican rhetoric about a border crisis is exaggerated and must be called out as such. 

“We know what the problems are. Now, Congress and the President must find the courage to act.” 

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