President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress Tuesday evening was the most pro-life, pro-family State of the Union speech delivered by a modern president. Between the ordinary, yet excellent Americans as his guests of honor, and his imploring of Congress to pass pro-family legislation, Trump accomplished his goal of displaying an agenda that is “relentlessly pro-worker, pro- family, pro-growth, and most importantly, pro-American.”
One of Trump’s special guests for the evening was Ellie Schneider from Kansas City, Missouri, who was born at 21 weeks and six days, and one of the youngest premature babies ever to survive in the United States. Thanks to an incredible medical team, Ellie is now a happy and healthy two-year-old girl, and attended the SOTU with her mom, Robin.
After the president said Ellie’s story reminds us “every child is a miracle of life,” Trump called on Congress to fund neo-natal research and to ban late-term abortions.
“Our goal should be to ensure that every baby has the best chance to thrive and grow just like Ellie. That is why I am asking the Congress to provide an additional $50 million to fund neo-natal research for America’s youngest patients,” he said. “That is also why I am calling upon the members of Congress here tonight to pass legislation finally banning the late-term abortion of babies.”
As a mom of a 4-month-old #preemie, this one had me in tears. #SOTU pic.twitter.com/VqMj1zdNen
— Kelsey Bolar (Harkness) (@kelseybolar) February 5, 2020
Ellie’s mom cheered and fist pumped when Trump implored Congress to send pro-life bills across his desk. Some Democrats applauded the millions for the heath care of premature babies, but more sat on their hands when Trump brought up protecting the unborn from abortion at the same age as premature babies.
Trump didn’t just highlight support for babies, but also championed American moms, dads, and families. For the first time, Trump endorsed a bipartisan proposal in Congress to extend government-provided subsidies to families after the birth or adoption of a child. It would also allow parents to draw on future child tax credits to pay for maternity leave.
“I was recently proud to sign the law providing new parents in the federal workforce paid family leave, serving as a model for the rest of the country,” he said. “Now, I call on the Congress to pass the bipartisan Advancing Support for Working Families Act, extending family leave to mothers and fathers all across the Nation.”
Trump celebrated the child tax credit included in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, noting “forty million American families have an average $2,200 extra thanks to our child tax credit.”
Another pair of special guests was Stephanie and Janiyah Davis from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Janiyah is a fourth-grade student, and Stephanie is a working single mom who wants her daughter to go to a better school, but is stuck on a waiting list for a school choice scholarship.
“She would do anything to give her daughter a better future. But last year, that future was put further out of reach when Pennsylvania’s governor vetoed legislation to expand school choice for 50,000 children,” Trump said, before informing Janiyah she would be receiving an Oppurtunity Scholarship after all.
“Pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act,” Trump told Congress. “Because no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school.”
Finally, one of the more emotional moments of the evening was a surprise for an unsuspecting military family honored as special guests. Trump honored Amy Williams and her two children from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, for her work as a military spouse who also volunteers helping other military families.
“Amy, your family’s sacrifice makes it possible for all of our families to live in safety and in peace… But Amy, there is one more thing. Tonight we have a very special surprise. I am thrilled to inform you that your husband is back from deployment. He is with us here tonight, and we couldn’t keep him waiting any longer,” Trump said as her husband descended down the balcony stairs.
The president surprises Amy Williams from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with the early homecoming of her husband Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams from Afghanistan.
Their two children are also in attendance. pic.twitter.com/Qz4QCY5UIG
— Norah O’Donnell🇺🇸 (@NorahODonnell) February 5, 2020
Trump’s State of the Union address comes on the heels of his unabashedly pro-life speech at the March for Life as the first American president to ever attend in person. It was there that he criticized the “far left” for their attacks against faith-based charities, assault on religion in the public square, and attempts to silence “Americans who believe in the sanctity of life.”
“They are coming after me because I’m fighting for you,” Trump told the crowd of pro-lifers.
While Trump’s State of the Union address considered his bipartisan audience and offered a broad overview of his accomplishments and agenda, it echoed similar promises from his March for Life speech: to put American children and families first, whether it gets Democrats’ applause or not.