Sen. Elissa Slotkin delivered the Democratic response to Trump's address.
President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, six weeks into his historic return to the White House.
During the speech, Trump said "America is back" and defended the tariffs on key U.S. trading partners. He touched on immigration and the mineral deal with Ukraine, but neglected to go into detail on his economic plan. The speech was also met with protests and disruptions from Democrats.
Slotkin criticized DOGE and Trump for the "mindless" mass firings of federal workers, only to hire some of them back days later.
"No CEO in America could do that without being summarily fired," she said.
"Is there anyone in America who is comfortable with him and his gang of 20 year olds using their own computer servers to poke through your tax returns, your health information and your bank accounts?" Slotkin asked while delivering remarks on economic security.
While she agreed that America needs a more efficient government, she argued that there is "no oversight" with Musk's efforts.
Trump didn't discuss the economy much during his speech, other than defending his new tariffs and blaming President Joe Biden for inflation. Slotkin, by contrast, started her speech by homing in on the economy. She said America needs to bring down costs on groceries, housing, health care and bring back good-paying jobs.
"Look, the president talked a big game on the economy, but it's always important to read the fine print. So do his plans actually help Americans get ahead? Not even close," Slotkin said.
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin is now delivering the Democratic response to Trump's address. She is speaking from Michigan, a key swing state that went for Trump in 2024.
