WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement on Tuesday after President Donald Trump delivered a State of the Union address: 

“If you were hoping for a unifying speech tonight, you got the opposite. Between the long victory lap with Republicans over tax reform to the over-the-top demonization of immigrants, President Trump picked at pretty much every political scab that exists in Washington today. His extended focus on the criminal danger posed by immigrants was particularly hard to sit through. Of course, we’ve heard this riff many times over the past two years, but it was really sad to hear it coming from the dais in the House chamber. I was glad to hear the president propose major new initiatives in drug pricing, infrastructure, opioid treatment, and job training, but by now I’m used to the president’s rhetoric never resulting in actual policy proposals. I doubt we will see him follow through on any of these promises, but I reserve the right to be pleasantly surprised if he proves me wrong.”

Murphy invited New Britain resident and cancer prevention advocate, Caroline Johnson, to be his guest to the State of the Union. Caroline is a staunch advocate for early cancer screening and research funding after her husband Scott Johnson, a New Britain firefighter and a Chief Petty Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard, died of colorectal cancer in August 2017 at the young age of 43. statement on Tuesday on President Trump’s State of the Union address.

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