DETROIT (WWJ) -- In response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address, Detroit Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said it's time for working families to call the shots.
Tlaib delivered the response on behalf of the Working Families Party, which is a grassroots progressive political organization fighting for increased minimum wage, the freedom to join a union and paid family and medical leave.
During her Tuesday night address, Tlaib said no one fought harder for the president's Build Back Better agenda than progressives -- but she said two forces have stood in the way: "A Republican party that serves the rich and the powerful and just enough corporate-backed democratic obstructionists to help them succeed."
Tlaib acknowledged that some important parts of the president's agenda became law with the infrastructure bill; however, she said the majority of that agenda is stalled and the work is unfinished.
"Roads and bridges are critical, but so are childcare and prescription drugs -- and we shouldn't have to choose."
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She called on Biden to cancel student loan debt, ban fossil fuel drilling and mining on federal lands and change how the poverty line is calculated.
"Imagine a government where corporate donors don’t drive healthcare, climate, education and poverty policies -- where the working families call the shots."
The congresswoman also voiced solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion.
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"We must put human rights and dignity first, and prioritize cooperation and diplomacy."
She noted that the U.S. cannot seek peace by continuing to spend trillions of dollars every year on weapons of war to make defense companies and contractors wealthier.