(Headline USA) Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., revealed she will deliver a response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next week, the point of which is to blast moderate Democrats whom, she alleges, have held up Biden’s leftist agenda.
Tlaib plans to speak on behalf of the left-wing Working Families Party, which has praised the Left’s proposed social spending and climate packages.
A draft of Tlaib’s speech, shared with Politico, shows she plans to attack Republicans and moderate Democrats for not doing enough to support the Left’s agenda.
“It should not be this hard to deliver on healthcare, climate, housing, child care, safety, voting rights, clean water and so much more,” she said in a statement.
“Democrats are in the majority and must set a new course that moves with a sense of urgency,” she added. “Our communities deserve for us to act now.”
This will be the fifth year the Working Families Party has delivered a response to the State of the Union. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., gave the party’s rebuttal 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,” Maurice Mitchell, the party’s director, said 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.”
However, Tlaib’s address will almost certainly fan the flames of division within the Democratic Party, especially as Democrat leaders point the finger at congressional leftists for the party’s steep drop in recent approval ratings.
Biden is expected address several key issues in his address, including the Russia–Ukraine conflict, inflation and his failed Build Back Better proposal.
