Rep. Juan Ciscomani emphasizes American dream in Spanish-language State of the Union response

The American dream took center stage Tuesday night during Rep. Juan Ciscomani's Spanish language response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union speech.

Ciscomani, R-Ariz., said the word "dream" 14 times throughout his speech, all prefaced with "American" or in reference to the American dream. A freshman U.S. member of Congress, he discussed how his life story embodied this ideal and that it was more difficult to attain today, as well as how Republicans were going to conserve it.

Ciscomani talked about how his family had achieved the American dream. He immigrated to Arizona as a young child from Mexico with his parents, who came to improve their station in life. His father drove a city bus in Tucson.

"If you talk to my dad, he'll say, 'Where else in the world can we have our story? We came to this country, we learned English, we immersed ourselves in the culture, we became citizens — I drove a bus most of my life, and my son is now a member of the United States Congress,'" Ciscomani said.

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He talked about how he twice swore an oath to the Constitution; the first time was when he naturalized as a U.S. citizen and the second was as he was being sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ciscomani represents Arizona's 6th Congressional District, which includes the edges of Tucson and parts of Pima County, as well as sections of Cochise, Graham, Greenlee and Pinal counties.

Ciscomani talked about how difficult it is to achieve the American dream today, citing high gas prices, increased cost of living and fentanyl overdoses. He put the blame on the current administration, saying: "President Biden wants to tell you that everything is great, but why aren’t people feeling great? The American dream feels more unattainable, and sadly, President Biden fails to show leadership and present any viable solution."

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Under the leadership of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Ciscomani said, Republicans have made a "Commitment to America" plan to preserve the American dream. That plan includes "strengthening" entitlement programs, reducing government spending as a means to ease inflation and more security, be it personal, border or national security, he said.

Ciscomani concluded the speech by looking ahead at the American dream.

"I truly believe in the American dream because it is not centered around financial success. It's about the freedom to pursue happiness," he said. "It's the dream I'm living. It’s a dream that unites us all. It’s a dream that is alive. It’s a dream worth defending, and together we can make it a reality for all. Let's put aside our differences and focus on results to keep this dream alive for future generations."

While bringing up the American dream 15 times, Ciscomani made no mention of immigration policy or so-"Dreamers," children who were brought to this country illegally as children and who someday hope to attain U.S. citizenship. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was created under President Barack Obama in 2012 to allow eligible participants the ability to apply for a driver's license and a work permit, among other things. Biden has taken steps to reverse Trump-era DACA decisions that lessened the program's scope.

Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at tara.kavaler@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @kavalertara.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ciscomani emphasizes American dream in State of the Union response