Summer Lee decries Trump speech as 'an obituary for the country'

As much of the nation tuned in to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, Summer Lee offered a sharply different vision. Delivering the response for the Working Families Party, she dismissed the speech as not “a list of accomplishments,” but “an obituary for the country working people built and a celebration for the billionaires who want to strip it for parts.” (Click here to hear Summer’s remarks.)

Lee spoke directly to working families like those she represents in western Pennsylvania. Delivering remarks for the Working Families Party, Lee said she watched the speech thinking about her own district — about parents juggling two jobs, patients stretching medication, and neighbors unsure how they’ll afford childcare next month.

Lee also revisited an issue she has pressed for months: the release of files connected to Jeffrey Epstein. She recalled that Trump once promised transparency and accountability, and said many families still want answers about powerful figures tied to Epstein.

But her response centered less on Washington drama and more on daily life back home. In a district that includes some of the nation’s top hospitals, she said, too many people still struggle to access basic care. Insurance bills pile up. Groceries cost more. Rent keeps rising.

“For so many families,” Lee said, “the state of the union isn’t about headlines. It’s about whether you can make it to the end of the month.”