WAV Comment – we know that this has happened, but some very good issues – and quite rightly; Trumpet did not talk about them !
Mark,
In tonight’s State of the Union, we can expect President Trump to make a number of false or misleading claims. Unfortunately, we don’t expect President Trump to talk about the crucial issues that reveal the REAL state of our union: rising global warming emissions, weakened public health protections, suppressed scientific studies, undermined fuel economy standards, undue industry influence in the government, and more.
Join us during the State of the Union to set the record straight on important issues President Trump will likely misrepresent or omit during his address. During the president’s speech, we’ll be tweeting using the #RealSOTU hashtag. Join in the conversation using some of our tweets below or with your own thoughts. Help us highlight the growing crisis of climate change and the importance of science-based protections in keeping us safe and healthy.
Considering last year’s speech and other factors, here are things the president will likely refer to…and the reality he’ll likely skip:
The Economy: It’s practically guaranteed that President Trump will talk about the economy, but here’s what you probably won’t hear:
- Want to talk about improving the economy and job creation? How about investing in a #cleanenergy economy. In 2016, 1 in 50 new American jobs was in #solar. #RealSOTU #SOTU
- • No one wants to pay more money at the gas pump. Fortunately, strong #CleanerCars standards are saving consumers money, and could add more than 100k jobs in 2025. #RealSOTU #SOTU
- • If we’re really worried about the economy then we MUST #ActOnClimate. We’re already experiencing billions of dollars of economic losses from climate-related events and the science shows it will only get worse if we don’t act now. #RealSOTU #SOTU
- • Farm incomes declined again in 2018, and the National Farmers Union—representing 200,000 family farmers across the US—is warning of a full-blown farm crisis. Policies that cater to big agribusiness aren’t helping. #RealSOTU #SOTU
Security: Given the recent shutdown showdown over the border wall, President Trump will likely spend a lot of time focused on the idea of border security, while ignoring some of the real threats to our country:
- Let’s talk about REAL threats to our security: Last month the director of National Intelligence testified before Congress and stressed the grave threat climate change poses to national security. #RealSOTU #SOTU
- • Spending >$1 trillion to rebuild the nuclear arsenal while walking away from successful arms control agreements will make us much less safe and greatly increase the chance of nuclear war #RealSOTU #SOTU
Regulatory Rollback: The president will likely present cuts in regulations as a step forward, but the reality is:
- A lot of regulations are actual public health and environmental protections designed to keep our communities safe. The Trump administration’s pattern of undermining science is damaging our health and safety. #RealSOTU #SOTU
- • The #RealSOTU is that communities of color, low-income communities, and tribal communities are disproportionately affected by problems from climate change & environmental contamination to lack of access to healthy food. We must do better. #SOTU
Yours Sincerely,
Kate Cell
Climate Campaign Manager
Union of Concerned Scientists
Air Quality Map
