PRESS RELEASE

LITTLE ROCK -- The Democratic Party of Arkansas released the following statement after Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders's inaugural address:

Congratulations to Sarah Huckabee Sanders on becoming the first female Governor in Arkansas history. No one can deny that electing the first woman to serve as Governor is a proud milestone. This moment is bittersweet for many women as Governor Sanders’s party denies women the opportunity to start a family how, when, and where they want.

Too many in Arkansas are hurting and too many families are falling behind, and the vision announced by the Governor today will not make Arkansas better for these folks. The message we heard from Governor Sanders today was not one of unity or celebration, but rather dividing our state further. It is not “bigger,” “bolder,” or “better” to divert public tax dollars into private or religious schools or to invest more in prisons than in our people.

We celebrate her call to raise teacher salaries and call on the legislature to send a clean teacher pay bill to the governor’s desk without delay. We are also encouraged by her support of expanding pre-K and improving literacy scores, but know that stripping our schools of revenue through even more tax cuts for the very wealthy will imperil these essential initiatives.

The beginning of Governor Sanders’s term will also be remembered for attacking Arkansas schools for “indoctrination,” a charge she has repeatedly levied against Arkansas teachers. Arkansas Democrats stand with our teachers and know they are first and foremost much too busy grading papers, buying their own supplies, and making lesson plans to indoctrinate anyone.

Arkansas Democrats will continue working for a better Arkansas during the 94th General Assembly and call on all Arkansans to stay vigilant to state policy changes and be in constant contact with their legislators throughout this session.