SOTU Highlights and Disappointments

Tuesday night, President Biden used his annual State of the Union Address to reiterate the crucial need for policies that invest in people and families. Among other things, he talked about the importance of families and workers having quality child care, paid leave, home and community-based care, and the expanded Child Tax Credit. However, we were disappointed that he emphasized border security over the needs of immigrant families. And we see far more work to do on public safety and police violence against Black and brown communities.    

Take a look at this roundup of our top highlights from that night on Twitter and a blog about support for immigrant families.

On February 5, 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which was an important step toward universal paid leave that workers—especially those who earn low wages—need and deserve. On the FMLA’s 30th anniversary, CLASP went to the White House to celebrate and took to the media, urging policymakers to pass universal paid leave. Read our Ms. Magazine op-ed and watch us on C-SPAN and the Rick Smith Show.

We can’t wait for safe communities. It is time for a New Deal for Youth that responds to the historic roots and current scale of the crisis. Young people’s votes changed the outcome of the 2022 election. It’s time to ensure that our systems and policies return the favor and meaningfully change outcomes for young people.