On the heels of a historic victory in NJ-11, the Working Families Party (WFP) announced U.S. Rep. Summer L. Lee (PA-12) will deliver its response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address. 

Rep. Lee will speak to how Working Families Party elected leaders and candidates are fighting back against Trump and corporate power, while championing a bold affordability agenda on healthcare, housing, good jobs, and more. 

“I’m going to elevate the voices of the people in my district and across the country who are angry, scared, and fed up with an administration that’s done nothing to help and a lot to hurt everyday people,” said Rep. Summer Lee. “And I’m going to say what too many politicians won’t: the system is rigged, the obscenely wealthy are profiting from it, and working people deserve more than scraps. Now more than ever, we need a political home for people who are ready to fight back against Trump’s corruption and cruelty, and the corporate politics that made him possible.”

The Working Families Party endorsed Rep. Lee in her first primary race in 2022, which she won despite millions in outside spending from AIPAC-affiliated groups.

“Congresswoman Summer Lee is the kind of leader this moment demands. She’s fearless, rooted in working-class communities, and unafraid to take on both MAGA extremism and corporate power,” said Working Families Party National Director Maurice Mitchell. “At a time when voters are losing faith in the two-party status quo, the Working Families Party is building a disciplined, independent political force that can defeat Trump and actually deliver on jobs, wages, healthcare, and more.”

The Working Families Party has seen a surge of momentum over the last year at a time of widespread voter dissatisfaction with the two major parties. Former New Jersey WFP State Director Analilia Mejia won the first Democratic Congressional primary of the cycle in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, beating out a former Member of Congress, a former Lt. Governor, and a county executive. Mejia ran on higher taxes for billionaires and the establishment of universal childcare, and she refused any contributions from corporate PACs. 

Mejia is one of a number of candidates supported by the WFP in the Democratic primaries for the 2026 mid-term elections. The WFP mid-term push comes after a wildly successful 2025 municipal cycle, where the WFP elected a new class of mayors from Zohran Mamdani in New York to Katie Wilson in Seattle to Shenise Turner-Sloss in Dayton, Ohio. 

Congresswoman Summer Lee has championed legislation to support working people.  In her first year, Lee brought home an unprecedented $1 billion in federal investments for Western PA to Western Pennsylvania, including over $500 million for infrastructure, over $50 million in affordable housing, and over $400 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania. Lee also supports Medicare for All and the 99.5 Percent Act, which would finally pass a wealth tax and reverse the continuous wealth transfers from working families to the top half of 1% wealthiest people in this country.

This is Working Families’ ninth annual response to the President’s Address to Congress on March 4th. Past speakers include Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and Rep. Delia Ramirez. 

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