Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump’s address to Congress next week, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Friday.
Immigration activist Astrid Silva will deliver the Spanish language response to the address, the Democratic leaders said.
“The governor is a proven leader and job creator, and knows exactly what is at risk if President Trump and Congressional Republicans repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement,” Schumer said in a statement.
The choice of Beshear indicates that Democrats intend to make ObamaCare a major focus of their response to Trump.
Beshear, who left the Kentucky governor’s mansion in 2015 due to term limits, embraced former President Obama’s 2010 healthcare reform law and its Medicaid expansion. Kentucky created an ObamaCare system, known as Kynect, that is popular in the state.
Silva, a Nevada-based immigration advocate and a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, emerged as a rising star among Democrats after a speech at the party’s national convention in July. She is the organizing director for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada.
“Rather than separating immigrant families, President Trump should be working to create more jobs, expand access to quality affordable healthcare and education for all Americans,” Silva said in a statement.
“This is a crucial time for the immigrant community and for Latinos, I am excited to be delivering the Democratic Spanish response to President Trump’s first joint address to Congress.”
The choice to have Beshear and Silva deliver the Democratic responses to Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress comes amid the president’s push to repeal the Affordable Care Act and crack down on immigration.
The Department of Homeland Security earlier this week issued a set of immigration enforcement directives, stepping up border security and deportations of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
As a presidential candidate, Trump vowed to dismantle Obama’s signature healthcare law, and Republicans in Congress are now drafting legislation to do just that. He also campaigned on the promise to build a wall along the southern border and has since signed an executive order authorizing its construction.