Sen. Mike Crapo responds to State of the Union address

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, was discouraged by much of President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.

Before the address, Sen. Crapo posted a video to his Instagram account, saying he would like to see the president present a plan addressing the debt crisis by reforming entitlement programs.

Local News 8 spoke with Sen. Crapo by phone following the address. He said the president hardly addressed the debt crisis, and certainly didn’t discuss the tax reform necessary.

Crapo was also discouraged by Obama’s attitude toward implementing future policies. In his address, Obama said without Congress he would move policies forward through executive order, if necessary.

“I think that’s a very dangerous direction for a president to take” said Crapo. “It’s not the way our system of government operates.”

The president said he hopes Republicans can get past trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Crapo will not be one of them.

“I think that we need to recognize that the health care law is failing and needs badly to be reformed,” said Crapo. “Our tax code needs to be reformed, the out-of-control spending in Washington needs to be brought under control, and we need a much stronger focus on the crisis that we face as a result of our national debt.”