Former Governor Steve Beshear (D-KY) gave the Democratic response to President Trump’s address to the joint session of Congress on February 28.
In his remarks, Gov. Beshear challenged the need to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L.111-148), also known as the ACA or Obamacare. He said, “Does the Affordable Care Act need some repairs? Sure, it does. But so far, every Republican idea to ‘replace’ the Affordable Care Act would reduce the number of Americans covered, despite your promises to the contrary.” He added, “[T]hese ideas promise ‘access’ to care but deny the importance of making care affordable and effective. They would charge families more for fewer benefits and put the insurance companies back in control.”
The former governor said that the president’s approach on national security and immigration has made the country “less safe and should worry every freedom-loving American.” Gov. Beshear noted that “we can protect American without abandoning our principles and our moral obligation to help those fleeing war and terror, without tearing families apart, and without needlessly jeopardizing our military men and women fighting overseas.”
The governor touted his economic record in Kentucky, saying: “By being financially responsible…we balanced our budget and turned deficits into surpluses without raising taxes. We cut our unemployment rate in half. We made huge gains in high school graduation rates. And we found health coverage for over a half million Kentuckians. We did that through trust and mutual respect.”
