Steve Lynch: “It is wonderful to join Mr. Boyle and Mr. Veasey from Texas. I thank them for creating the Blue Collar Caucus. I think…”

“It is wonderful to join Mr. Boyle and Mr. Veasey from Texas. I thank them for creating the Blue Collar Caucus. I think the time is perfect for the challenges that we face as a country, and I think also, as a Democrat, embracing some of our tradition. I think, in some cases, we have drifted from that. I do want to talk about the blue-collar economy and what is happening to people who work in the building trades and work as truck drivers and nurses and people who are really the backbone of this country. As Brendan mentioned, I was an ironworker for about 20 years. I know what it is when you are trying to work from paycheck to paycheck, strapping on a pair of work boots every single day. I also want to focus tonight on one part of Mr. Trump's executive orders and policies that have really hurt people in our demographic: regular working people. I want to speak specifically about veterans. As most people heard, President Trump, when he came into office, initiated what was called a Federal worker hiring freeze, stopping any workers from going to work for the Federal Government. I just want to remind people out there that about 30 percent of those workers are veterans. So 30 percent of the people who go to work for the Federal Government are veterans. By putting a freeze on Federal workers, you are blocking almost one-third of workers who are veterans who would be trying to go to work. The Federal Government is expansive.…”