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<v Speaker 1>To have the opportunity to speak tonight. It's late, so

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<v Speaker 1>I promised to be a lot shorter than what you

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<v Speaker 1>just watched. I won't take it personally. If you've never

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<v Speaker 1>heard of me. I'm the new Senator from the great

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<v Speaker 1>state of Michigan, where I grew up. I've been in

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<v Speaker 1>public service my entire life. Because I happened to be

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<v Speaker 1>in New York City on nine to eleven when the

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<v Speaker 1>Twin Towers came down. Before the smoke cleared, I knew

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<v Speaker 1>I wanted to make a life in national security. I

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<v Speaker 1>was recruited by the CIA and did three tours in

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<v Speaker 1>a rock alongside the military. In between, I worked at

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<v Speaker 1>the White House under President Bush and President Obama, two

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<v Speaker 1>very different leaders who both believed that America is exceptional.

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<v Speaker 1>You can find that same sense of patriotism here in

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<v Speaker 1>why and Dot, Michigan, where I'm speaking from tonight. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a working class town just south of Detroit. President Trump

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<v Speaker 1>and I both won here in November. It might not

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<v Speaker 1>seem like it, but plenty of places like this still

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<v Speaker 1>exist across the United States, places where people believe that

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<v Speaker 1>if you work hard and play by the rule rules,

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<v Speaker 1>you should do well and your kids should do better.

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<v Speaker 1>It reminds me of how I grew up. My dad

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<v Speaker 1>was a lifelong Republican, by mom a lifelong Democrat, but

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<v Speaker 1>it was never a big deal because we had shared

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<v Speaker 1>values that were bigger than any one party. We just

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<v Speaker 1>went through another fraught election season. Americans made it clear

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<v Speaker 1>that prices are too high and that the government needs

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<v Speaker 1>to be more responsive to their needs. America wants change,

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<v Speaker 1>but there's a responsible way to make change in a

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<v Speaker 1>reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting

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<v Speaker 1>who we are as a country and as a democracy.

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<v Speaker 1>So that's what I'm going to lay out tonight. Because

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<v Speaker 1>whether you're from Wyandot or Wichita, most Americans share three

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<v Speaker 1>core beliefs. That the middle class is the engine of

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<v Speaker 1>our country, that strong national security protects us from harm,

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<v Speaker 1>and that our democracy, no matter how messy, is unparalleled

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<v Speaker 1>and worth fighting for. Let's start with theomy. Michigan literally

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<v Speaker 1>invented the middle class, the revolutionary idea that you could

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<v Speaker 1>work at an autoplant and afford the car you were building.

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<v Speaker 1>That's the American dream. And in order to expand and

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<v Speaker 1>protect the middle class, we have to do a few

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<v Speaker 1>basic things. We need to bring down the price of things.

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<v Speaker 1>We spend the most money on groceries, housing, healthcare. We

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<v Speaker 1>need to make more things in America with good paying

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<v Speaker 1>union jobs and bring our supply chains back home from

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<v Speaker 1>places like China. We need to give American businesses the

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<v Speaker 1>certainty they need to invest and create the jobs of

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<v Speaker 1>the future. And we need a tax system that's fair

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<v Speaker 1>for people who don't happen to make a billion dollars. Look,

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<v Speaker 1>the President talked a big game on the economy, but

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<v Speaker 1>it's always important to read the fine print. So do

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<v Speaker 1>his plans actually help Americans get ahead? Not even close.

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<v Speaker 1>President Trump is trying to deliver an unprecedented giveaway to

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<v Speaker 1>his billionaire friends. He's on the hunt to find trillions

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<v Speaker 1>of dollars to pass along to the wealthiest in America,

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<v Speaker 1>and to do that, he's going to make you pay

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<v Speaker 1>in every part of your life. Grocery and home prices

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<v Speaker 1>are going up, not down, and he hasn't laid out

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<v Speaker 1>a credible plan to deal with either of those. His

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<v Speaker 1>tariffs on allies like Canada will raise prices on energy, lumber,

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<v Speaker 1>and cars and start a trade war that will hurt

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<v Speaker 1>manufacturing and farmers. Your premiums and prescriptions will cost more

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<v Speaker 1>because the math on his proposals doesn't work without going

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<v Speaker 1>after your healthcare. Meanwhile, for those keeping score, the national

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<v Speaker 1>debt is going up, not down, and if he's not careful,

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<v Speaker 1>he could walk us right into a recession. And one

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<v Speaker 1>more thing in order to pay for his plan. He

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<v Speaker 1>could very well come after your retirement the Social Security,

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<v Speaker 1>Medicare and VA benefits you worked your whole life to earn.

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<v Speaker 1>The President claims he won't, but Elon Musk just called

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<v Speaker 1>social Security the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time. While

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<v Speaker 1>we're on the subject of Elon Musk, is there anyone

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<v Speaker 1>in America who is comfortable with him and his gang

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<v Speaker 1>of twenty year olds using their own computer servers to

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<v Speaker 1>poke through your tax returns, your health information, and your

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<v Speaker 1>bank accounts. No oversight, no protections against cyber attack, no

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<v Speaker 1>guard rails on what they do with your private data.

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<v Speaker 1>We need a more efficient government. You want to cut waste,

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<v Speaker 1>I'll help you do it. But change doesn't need to

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<v Speaker 1>be chaotic or make us less safe. The mindless firing

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<v Speaker 1>of people who work to protect our nuclear weapons, keep

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<v Speaker 1>our planes from crashing, and conduct the research that finds

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<v Speaker 1>the cure for cancer, only to rehire them two days later.

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<v Speaker 1>No CEO in America could do that without being summarily fired. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>so we've talked about economic security, how about national security.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's start with the border. As someone who spent my

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<v Speaker 1>whole career protecting our homeland, every country deserves to know

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<v Speaker 1>who and what is coming across its border, period. Democrats

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<v Speaker 1>and Republicans should all be for that. But securing the

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<v Speaker 1>border without actually fixing our broken immigration system is dealing

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<v Speaker 1>with the symptom and not the disease. America is a

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<v Speaker 1>nation of immigrants. We need a functional system heed to

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<v Speaker 1>the needs of our economy that allows vetted people to

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<v Speaker 1>come and work here legally. So I look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>the President's plan on that. Because here's the thing. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>world is deeply interconnected migration, cyber threats, AI, environmental destruction, terrorism.

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<v Speaker 1>One nation cannot face these issues alone. We need friends

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<v Speaker 1>in all corners, and our safety depends on it. President

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<v Speaker 1>Trump loves to say peace through strength. That's actually a

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<v Speaker 1>line he stole from Ronald Reagan. But let me tell you,

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<v Speaker 1>after the spectacle that just took place in the Oval

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<v Speaker 1>Office last week, Reagan must be rolling in his grave.

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<v Speaker 1>We all want an end to the war in Ukraine,

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<v Speaker 1>but Reagan understood that true ng required America to combine

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<v Speaker 1>our military and economic might with moral clarity. And that

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<v Speaker 1>scene in the Oval Office wasn't just a bad episode

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<v Speaker 1>of reality TV. It summed up Trump's whole approach to

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<v Speaker 1>the world. He believes in coosing up to dictators like

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<v Speaker 1>Vladimir Putin and kicking our friends like the Canadians in

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<v Speaker 1>the teeth. He sees American leadership as merely a series

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<v Speaker 1>of real estate transactions. As a Cold War kid, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>thankful it was Reagan and not Trump in office in

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<v Speaker 1>the nineteen eighties. Trump would have lost us the Cold War.

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<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump's actions suggest that in his heart, he doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>believe we're an exceptional nation. He clearly doesn't think we

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<v Speaker 1>should lead the world. Look, America is not perfect, but

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<v Speaker 1>I stand with the majority of Americans who believe we

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<v Speaker 1>are still exceptional, unparalleled. And I would rather have American

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<v Speaker 1>leadership over Chinese or Russian leadership any day of the

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<v Speaker 1>week because for generations America has offered something better. Our

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<v Speaker 1>security and our prosperity, yes, but our democracy, our very

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<v Speaker 1>system of government has been the aspiration of the world,

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<v Speaker 1>and right now it's at risk. It's at risk when

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<v Speaker 1>the president decides you can pick and choose what rules

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<v Speaker 1>you want to follow, when he ignores court orders and

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<v Speaker 1>the Constitution itself, or when elected leaders stand by and

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<v Speaker 1>just let it happen. But it's also at risk when

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<v Speaker 1>the president pits Americans against each other, when he demonizes

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<v Speaker 1>those who are different and tells certain people they shouldn't

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<v Speaker 1>be included. Because America is not just a patch of

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<v Speaker 1>land between two oceans. We are more than that. Generations

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<v Speaker 1>have fought and died to secure the fundamental rights that

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<v Speaker 1>define us. Those rights and the fight for them make

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<v Speaker 1>us who we are. We're a nation of strivers, risk takers, innovators,

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<v Speaker 1>and we are never satisfied. That is America's superpower. And

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<v Speaker 1>look lived and worked in many countries. I've seen democracies

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<v Speaker 1>flicker out. I've seen what life is like when a

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<v Speaker 1>government is rigged. You can't open a business without paying

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<v Speaker 1>off a corrupt official. You can't criticize the guys in

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<v Speaker 1>charge without getting a knock at the door in the

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<v Speaker 1>middle of the night. So as much as we need

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<v Speaker 1>to make our government more responsive to our lives today.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't for one moment fool yourself. The democracy isn't precious

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<v Speaker 1>and worth saving. But how do we actually do that?

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<v Speaker 1>I know a lot of you have been asking that question. First,

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<v Speaker 1>don't tune out. It's easy to be exhausted, but American

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<v Speaker 1>needs you now more than ever. If previous generations had

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<v Speaker 1>not fought for this democracy, where would we be today. Second,

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<v Speaker 1>hold your elected officials, including me, accountable, Watch how they're voting,

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<v Speaker 1>Go to town halls and demand they take action. That's

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<v Speaker 1>as American as apple pie. Third, organize, Pick just one

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<v Speaker 1>issue you're passionate about and engage, and room scrolling doesn't count.

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<v Speaker 1>Join a group that cares about your issue and act,

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<v Speaker 1>And if you can't find one, start one. Some of

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<v Speaker 1>the most important movements in our history have come from

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<v Speaker 1>the bottle up. In closing, we all know that our

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<v Speaker 1>country is going through something right now. We're not sure

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<v Speaker 1>what the next day is going to hold, let alone

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<v Speaker 1>the next decade. But this isn't the first time we've

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<v Speaker 1>experienced significant and tumultuous change as a country. I'm a

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<v Speaker 1>student of history, and we've gone through periods of political

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<v Speaker 1>instability before and Ultimately, we've chosen to keep changing this

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<v Speaker 1>country for the better. But every single time, we've only

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<v Speaker 1>gotten through those moments because of two things. Engage citizens

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<v Speaker 1>and principled leaders. Engage citizens who do a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>more than they're used to doing to fight for the

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<v Speaker 1>things that they care about. And principled leaders who are

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<v Speaker 1>ready to receive the ball and do something about it.

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<v Speaker 1>So thank you tonight for caring about you country just

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<v Speaker 1>by watching you qualify as engaged citizens. And I promise

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<v Speaker 1>that I and my fellow Democrats will do everything in

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<v Speaker 1>our power to be the principal leaders that you deserve.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Night, everyone,