DNC Chair Tom Perez  gave the weekly Democratic address.

TRANSCRIPT

“Hi everyone. I’m Tom Perez, Chair of the Democratic National Committee.

As Donald Trump approaches his first 100 days in office, he’s struggling to distract from his broken campaign promises and massive legislative failures by trying to present himself as some kind of moderate. We’ve seen this con before, and we’re not taking the bait.

The Trump administration’s assault on hardworking families began on day one. Just hours after being sworn in, Trump made it harder for first-time homebuyers to buy a home. Days later, he made it harder for families to save for retirement.

He nominated a judge to the Supreme Court who wants severely weaken worker protections and turn back the clock on women’s reproductive rights.

He’s targeted immigrants and torn families apart.

He tried to ram through a health care bill that would have kicked 24 million Americans off their insurance over the next decade.

And his callous and cowardly leadership has only continued this week. On Tuesday, the administration eliminated critical protections for the millions of Americans with student loans.

Now just think about that for a second. Instead of expanding opportunity for America’s students, President Trump would rather let big corporations bury them under mountains of debt.

That’s not just bad for students – it hurts our entire economy. If we want to have the most skilled workforce in the world, then we should be encouraging people who want to further their education, not setting them up for bankruptcy.

But by ending these protections, President Trump is putting higher education further out of reach for millions of hardworking families.

When he’s not busy attacking students, Trump continues to lie to the American people by taking credit for jobs he didn’t create, while pushing an agenda that would devastate working families, take health care away from millions of people, and potentially plunge our economy back into a recession – all while giving massive tax breaks to wealthy Americans like himself.

Donald Trump isn’t shaking things up. He’s shaking American families down. And Democrats won’t let him get away with it.

That’s why I’m hitting the road next week with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to speak with folks across the country about how we can come together and fight back for our values.

My mentor Ted Kennedy often said that the Democratic Party’s cause is one of common people united by common hopes for a better future. For a job that pays a fair wage for a hard day’s work. An education that opens the doors of opportunity. Health care for you and your family. And the chance to retire with the dignity and security that every hard-working American deserves.

That’s what Democrats are fighting for: the basic promise of inclusion and economic opportunity for everyone – from the carpenter in Kentucky to the DREAMer in Nevada. That’s what makes our party such a big tent.

So when Republicans side with big corporations that squeeze borrowers dry, Democrats will be fighting for students who deserve the chance to go to college without going bankrupt.

When Republicans push harmful right-to-work laws, Democrats will be fighting for workers who deserve a better contract and a seat at the negotiating table.

And when Republicans try to repeal the Affordable Care Act and impose an age tax on American seniors, Democrats will be fighting to protect health care for millions of families across the country.

That’s what next week’s tour is all about.

As President Trump retreats to the golf course while his 100th day in office approaches, Bernie and I will be talking directly to voters about how the Democratic Party is fighting for you.

We’re hitting 7 states in 6 days, and we’d love to see you at one of the rallies. Just head to fightbacktour.com to learn more and get involved.

Have a Happy Easter weekend, and I hope to see some of you on the tour.”