Jayapal Announces Sara Nelson as Joint Address Guest
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) is announcing her guest to President Donald Trump’s Joint Address will be Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA).
“This year’s joint address will be a laundry list of funding cuts that Trump and Elon Musk have made to critical programs that keep us safe and healthy,” said Jayapal. “The reality is these cuts are not to promote ‘efficiency,’ but rather to put money directly into the pockets of Trump, Musk, and other billionaires. Among these cuts, they’re going after health care and food assistance – and our safety when we travel. At a time when we’re seeing more frequent plane crashes and near misses, Trump is firing federal aviation workers and putting all of us at risk. Today, I am grateful to announce that I am bringing a guest to the Joint Address who is on the frontlines of keeping travelers safe: Sara Nelson. Her work leading the AFA has been incredibly effective and powerful for workers across the country, including in my district with the recent Alaska Airlines contract negotiation. Tonight, we will bear witness and refuse to turn away from the dangers of the Trump administration and show our commitment to fighting for the American people.”
“I appreciate Congresswoman Jayapal putting Flight Attendants front and center as lawmakers gather for the State of the Union. Aviation safety is top of mind, especially as Flight Attendants have been recognized in the midst of gut wrenching tragedy when a midair collision crashed 67 people instantly into the Potomac moments before landing at DCA on January 29th and for their life saving work to evacuate all 80 travelers from Delta Endeavor 4819 that came to a rest upside down in the middle of extreme weather in Toronto,” said Nelson. “The actions of this administration have added risk to our workplace and the stability of the industry – from halting the work of USAID that helps to keep us safe and deliver aid around the world on our planes, to the firing of workers across government in an aviation system that is already stretched thin. It is scientifically documented that Flight Attendants experience higher rates of cancer and often are the first to come in contact with communicable disease. In order to do our jobs and come home safely to our families we need cancer research to continue, information about the latest public health risks fully communicated, and all U.S. resources available to stop the spread of deadly disease before it reaches our airports. We can’t do our jobs without a functioning government. Aviation is the symbol of freedom and we will fight for our freedoms to do our work and live our lives with economic and social justice.”
Sara Nelson has served as the International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO since 2014, and she is currently serving her third four-year term. She first became a union member in 1996 when she was hired as a Flight Attendant at United Airlines and today, she represents 55,000 of aviation’s first responders at 20 airlines.