On Saturday afternoon, the top Democrat in the U.S Congress came out against the U.S President Donald Trump over his racist attack against Congressman Elijah Cummings. The U.S House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered her feelings in favor of Cummings. It is important that Cummings had been a target of various cruel tweets posted early Saturday morning by the U.S President. Pelosi wrote in her tweet, @RepCummings is a champion in the U.S Congress and the country for civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague”. She added, “We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership”.
Elijah Cummings is the Chair of the powerful House Oversight Committee. Trump tweeted, “A brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous. His district is considered the Worst in the USA”. A subsequent tweet from the U.S President continued to slather on insults directed at Cummings and his constituents. Trump added, “Cumming’s sic District is a disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place”. Trump also called for an investigation into federal funds that had been given to the district, even though there are a number of congressional districts that have received billions more in federal grants than Cummings’.
Cummings also issued his own statement earlier in the day on twitter. He wrote, “Mr. President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbors. It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents”. The congressman then used the attention focused in his direction to spotlight the work he had been doing and called upon Trump to work with Democrats in Congress on the issue of soaring prescription drug prices. He added, “Just yesterday, I held a hearing on the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs and the financial hardships that families across the nation, and in Baltimore, are facing. Mr. President, we can address this together. Two years ago, I went to the White House to ask you to endorse my bill to let the government negotiate directly for lower drug prices. You told me then that you supported the legislation and that you would work with me to make it happen. I took you at your word”.