Local lawmakers react to State of the Union

Idaho Senator Mike Crapo issued the following in response to the President’s State of the Union Address:

“Tonight,President Obama used his final State of the Union address to outline his vision and priorities for our country. But again, he continues to pursue more growth in government and more unrestrained spending. I have disagreed with many of the President’s initiatives during his presidency. But our failure to deal with our fiscal crisis is paramount. Over the last seven years we have seen an explosion of debt, an unprecedented growth of government and a restriction of our privacy and freedoms. Our national debt now exceeds $18.8 trillion. We cannot continue to ignore our debt and simply try to spend our way into prosperity with borrowed money.”

Idaho Senator Jim Risch issued the following statement aftertonight’s State of the Union address:

“Tonight’s speech was no different from those before it, with the president presenting his confused version of the realities and hardships facing the American people. President Obama used this, his final State of the Union address, as a victory lap to claim that seven years of increased spending, increased taxes, increased debt, and increased regulations have made America a better place to live. Idahoans know better.

“President Obamatonightclaimed to have made Americans safer during the rise of ISIS. On the contrary, his disinterest in a winning strategy to combat ISIS and his commitment to a very bad nuclear agreement with Iran leaves Americans in greater dangertodaythan in recent memory.

“The futures of our children and grandchildren are greatly imperiled after seven years of the Obama presidency.Tonight’s speech was a reiteration of the many bad policies and disasters that came out of this administration; and that it is not the ‘hope’ or ‘change’ that was promised. I look forward to turning the page in 374 days.”

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson issued the following statement after the President’s State of the Union Address.

“I am not surprised that the President missed another opportunity to unite our country with his last State of the Union address,” said Simpson. “Instead of engaging Congress with a list of policy proposals we can work on together, the President chose to use the speech tolecture the nation on his agenda and his tired executive actions that continue to be blocked by our judicial branch. Noticeably absent from his speech was an acknowledgement thata mere 27 percent of Americans currently believe the country is headed in the right direction. Also noticeably absent was anymention of the crisis we face with regard to our national debt, with the President instead pronouncing new federal programs that would only add billions to it.

“There is no doubt this President delivers a great speech. The problem is he simply cannot deliver what he promises to the American people.The truth is that ISIS is not contained, the labor force participation rate remains too low, and our government-knows-best healthcare system is raising costs for families and patients. Sadly, the President missed a chance to provide a path forward at a time when our country needs bold ideas and creative solutions.”

Idaho Congressman Ral Labrador, a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, issued the following joint HFC statement regarding President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“The Obama administration has repeatedly undermined the Constitution and rule of law. They have targeted Americans’ First Amendment freedoms through the IRS?, religious liberty through Obamacare, and Second Amendment rights through executive actions. Instead of attacking Americans’ liberties, the President should work with Congress to secure our borders and protect the country from terrorism.

“This year Congress must advance bold conservative ideas to help families who have seen job loss and stagnant income during the Obama presidency. We will fight for policies that simplify the tax code, reform our welfare system, and provide patient-centered healthcare in order to help these struggling families and give hope to millions of Americans who believe their leaders have forgotten them.”

Wyoming Senator John Barrasso released the following statement in response to President Obama’s final State of the Union address:

“Consistent with the past seven years, the president’s final State of the Union address was long on promises and short on solutions. He missed a real opportunitytonightto talk about the things that unite us. Instead, he was more divisive than ever on healthcare, energy, our economy, and even national security.

“The president is concerned about his legacy, but his track record is clear: The economy is fragile, we have a health care law that’s not working and the world is less safe. The president has seven years of problems that haven’t been fixed.

“Americans are now looking toward the future. Republicans are ready to show the American people what we can do. We’re committed to solving major challenges with proven solutions to make our economy more competitive, create jobs, strengthen health care for all Americans and increase the safety and security of our country.”