Warren visits East Lansing to tout Biden’s efforts to preserve abortion access

FRIDAY, April 12 — The last time U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was in town, it was to campaign for president in 2019. She packed a gymnasium-sized space at Lansing Community College in a raucous rally as she sought to convince Michigan voters to support her for the Democratic nomination. She lost her bid to Joe Biden.

This time, the Massachusetts Democrat was here to help her former opponent.

She faced a smaller crowd in East Lansing as she looked to mobilize Democratic voters on behalf of the Biden-Harris ticket. She addressed more than 50 people at the Michigan Educators Association headquarters in East Lansing Warren touted President Biden’s efforts to protect abortion rights, combat climate change, and lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, veterans, and working families.

 “This is the first time in living memory that we’ve had two people who are, or have been, president of the United States running against each other,” Warren said. “So, we don’t have to listen to big promises. We actually do know what they’ll do because they’ve been doing it.”

In the four years of Donald Trump’s presidency, Warren said his administration could claim “two big accomplishments”: passing tax cuts for the extremely wealthy and appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices. The latter were instrumental in the court’s June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had protected abortion rights at the federal level since 1973, she said.

“He is directly responsible for the fact that today there are women who have to be near death before their doctors can administer the medical care that they need. He is directly responsible when a 10-year-old who has been raped and impregnated cannot get an abortion at home and has to travel and further extend the trauma that she is going through,” Warren said.

“In other words, Donald Trump is directly responsible for half the people in this country losing a constitutionally guaranteed right and living in fear about the consequences of that,” she added.

She contrasted Trump’s record as president with Biden’s, touting what the latter’s administration has accomplished since Roe V. Wade fell two years ago.

“He’s made sure that our military service members who have been stationed in red states still can get access to abortion. Literally, his Department of Justice is fighting right now to preserve medication abortion all across the country,” Warren said.

With those rights “on the line,” Warren told the crowd it was more important than ever to get out and vote in elections at every level of government.

“More than any other single thing, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the Democrats in the House, the Democrats in the Senate and the Democrats up and down the ballot in the state races have all made clear: ‘Give us the votes in Washington, and we will make Roe vs. Wade the law of the land again,” Warren said.

Warren made abortion access a key theme throughout her 20-minute speech, but she also cited other “milestones” from Biden’s first term.

“The work that Joe Biden and his team have been doing shows up in lots of other ways, too,” she said. “Seniors never have to pay more than $2,000 on prescription drugs. And, as of today, 4 million Americans have seen their student loan debt canceled.”

She said another “personal favorite” of hers was the administration’s success in “cutting the cost of hearing aids.”

“Over-the-counter sales of hearing aids means that, instead of paying thousands of dollars, people who need those hearing aids can get them for hundreds,” she said.

Finally, she said, Biden “helped pass the biggest climate package in the history of the world.”

“Here comes the best part. You know how he paid for it? I love this. He paid for it with my 15% minimum tax on corporations that make more than a billion dollars that are paying nothing in taxes,” Warren said to a round of applause.

“Yeah, I love this stuff,” she added before driving her point home.

“Now is the time to get in the fight. Not three days before the election. Not a week before the election. And listen, it's not enough just to know what is right — you’ve got to fight for what is right,” she said.

“This is the fight of our lifetime. It is a fight for our democracy, it is a fight for our economy, it is a fight for the people who have had their constitutional rights taken away from them,” Warren added. “We are here to show America that our voices will be heard. We will make certain that men and women across this country make clear that medical decisions will be made by a patient and a doctor and not some damned politician.”

“Let’s get this done,” she concluded.

Warren, who is 74, stuck around afterward to take photos with voters and canvassers, while others mingled and discussed the issues of the day.

Among them was DeWitt resident John Burow, a former Lutheran pastor who said he came because he was concerned about the state of the world his grandchildren will one day inherit.

Burow cited climate change as his “top issue,” adding that “racism and economic equity” are also important considerations.

“The difference between the two parties is huge on these things,” Burow said.

Burow mentioned that he was “very excited” about Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s candidacy for the United States Senate and that he supported former state Sen. Curtis Hertel Jr., who is running to take over Slotkin’s 7th Congressional District seat in November.

“As much as I can criticize Democrats strategically and dislike some of the things they do, for my faith values, there’s simply no comparison,” Burow said.