Response to Mississippi’s 2023 State of the State Address

During the State of the State Address, Governor Tate Reeves praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs which overturned Roe v. Wade and triggered an abortion ban in Mississippi.  Now the governor wants to pursue a new “pro-life agenda”, which includes child tax credits, expansion of pregnancy resource centers, and make it easier to adopt.

Child Protective Services Commissioner Andrea Sanders says children in foster care are the responsibility of Mississippi.

“I heard him say that we’re going to invest in kids and education in Mississippi and make it the easiest place in the country to be a family, and that certainly supports the work that we do. So I’m looking forward to another year of trying to protect children and families in Mississippi.”

The official Democratic response was given by gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley, who currently serves as Mississippi’s Northern Public Service Commissioner. Speaking from a now-closed hospital in Newton County, he criticized the Governor’s opposition to expanding Medicaid.

Presley says “It continues by funding rural hospitals and police officers, not stealing from them. Yes, we should fund the police, increase healthcare, and invest in education. Together, we are going to end the insane grocery tax. We’re going to make sure folks from Walnut on the Tennessee line to Waveland on the gulf coast can walk with pride because they have a job and hope for their children’s future.”

While Reeves praised recent economic growth in Mississippi and is calling for the elimination of the state income tax, Presley says the state is losing population and is one of only seven states to tax groceries.