BLUMENTHAL STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP’S JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) released the following statement tonight responding to President Trump’s Joint Address to Congress:

“This speech was mostly vague platitudes, vacuous assurances, and appeals to fear. The nation needs a leader with a real vision for our future – not empty promises. We deserve more than an Administration that pledges unity, then governs by fear.”

Blumenthal was joined at tonight’s Joint Address to Congress by Hewad Hemat, a refugee from Afghanistan who fled his home country after his work on behalf of the United States provoked the Taliban to threaten him and his family. Mr. Hemat worked for the United States Army, the United States Embassy in Kabul, and the United Nations for eight years. He and his family were admitted to the United States as refugees in 2014, and settled in New Haven, Connecticut.