Affordable Virginia and Constituents in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District Respond to State of the Union
Virginia Beach, Va. – Following President Biden’s State of the Union speech, Affordable Virginia and residents of Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District shared their reactions to the speech and called on the district’s representative, Jen Kiggans, to work to pass the policies President Biden championed, which would improve the lives of people in her district.
“President Biden’s policies have helped working families by lowering the costs of prescription drugs and health insurance premiums, protecting consumers from unfair pricing, and cutting taxes for working and middle-class Americans while making corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share,” said Joseph White, Organizing Director for Affordable Virginia.
White says the speech should be a wake-up call for elected officials that Americans are tired of congressional gridlock and want to see real results. “The President laid out an impressive set of accomplishments, but he also acknowledged the work that is left to do,” White said. “But we cannot make more progress if Republicans in Congress like Rep. Jen Kiggans continue to put political posturing and divisive rhetoric ahead of the needs of working families. We’re calling on Rep. Jen Kiggans to demonstrate her commitment to serving the families in her district by working with her colleagues in Congress to make the vision President Biden outlined tonight a reality.”
Health Care and Reproductive Freedom Take Center Stage
In his speech, President Biden outlined his administration'sI efforts to make quality health care more affordable and accessible for working families and seniors. “Health care costs are at a record high, and the crisis is especially harmful to vulnerable and low-income patients who are struggling to access the care they need,” said Dr. Donald Lynch, a retired physician in Virginia Beach. “Medical care should be something every American can reasonably access, and President Biden needs Congressional Republicans like Jen Kiggans to stop voting against health care affordability and start standing up for the working families in our district and across the country.”
Another key point in the speech was access to reproductive care, including IVF. The medical procedure drew renewed attention in recent weeks following the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision to ban the practice in the state. Since the decision, Senate Republicans have blocked efforts to codify access to IVF, and House Republicans have pushed for a nonbinding resolution while rejecting meaningful action to protect access. “Republicans like Jen Kiggans are putting on quite a performance, but the fact is anything short of codifying access to IVF will leave families vulnerable,” said Linda Bennington, a retired OBGYN nurse and professor of nursing in Virginia Beach. “Families and health care providers do not want the government interfering with personal medical decisions, and Jen Kiggans needs to wake up and realize that blocking meaningful protections to reproductive health care inflicts tremendous harm on working families in her district and across the nation.”
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