Senators, Rep. Respond to SOTU

“We face many challenges as the country recovers from the great recession - many of which were highlighted tonight. One thing, however, is clear: we need to keep the focus on jobs. I just spent several weeks back home, talking with Pennsylvanians. Everywhere I went I heard two things: create jobs and work together. We owe it to those we serve to make that our focus as well. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with my colleagues from both chambers and from both sides of the aisle to extend the middle-class tax cuts and continue to strengthen the economy.

“I also look forward to more attention on the critical issue of manufacturing. Pennsylvania manufacturers have been hit hard by unfair trade practices by countries like China. The Senate has passed legislation to crack down on China’s currency manipulation. The House must follow suit and the Administration must do more to use its existing powers to level the playing field for U.S. workers.
“I hope that we build on the spirit of bipartisanship seen in the Chamber tonight as Democrats and Republicans sat together to create jobs and grow the economy.”

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) issued the following statement tonight on the president’s State of the Union address:

“The president did suggest his willingness to work with Congress on a few pro-economic growth policies, and I will always welcome working with the president and anyone who wants to pursue ideas that will grow the economy and create jobs. However, the majority of the president’s speech was just business as usual for this administration and a retread of ideas that have already failed.

“Massive spending, tax increases, new additional regulations, and special-interest giveaways – these are the things that have helped to get us to where we are now – a weak economy without the kind of job growth that we need.

“What we need is for the president to unite Americans – not divide them, and to focus on opportunities – a growing economy that will create the jobs that we need. With unemployment at more than 8 percent and our nation’s debt at more than $15 trillion, we need to work together and pass meaningful solutions. I’m still going to fight for those policies, and I hope the president will come along with us on at least some of them.”


“The President had the opportunity to chart a new path on a set of priorities that the American people have called for and both political parties can agree on, and we heard some productive talk here tonight,” said Rep. Thompson. “But with almost 2 million more Americans out of work and having racked up the three largest annual deficits in the country’s history since the President took office, the American people are looking for more than just talk.”

“The President tonight pledged his commitment to energy security, yet his Administration’s actions run contrary to the rhetoric,” Rep. Thompson added. “While his acknowledgment that we need increased domestic production of oil and natural gas, on and off shore, was quite promising, to date the Administration has worked to counter attempts at making America's energy future more secure. The President’s denial of the Keystone XL pipeline, which has the potential to create thousands of jobs and add to our energy security, is the latest example of this White House’s failure to understand our nation’s energy needs and potential.”

“Today, our national debt is now larger than our entire economy thanks to Washington’s inability to end its addiction to out-of-control spending,” Thompson continued. “In the House, we’ve delivered for the American people by advancing bills to reduce spending, restore fiscal solvency, and encourage new job creation. In fact, we’ve acted on more than 30 bipartisan jobs bills, almost all of which have been denied consideration by the Senate. With any hope, the President will meet his commitment to ‘fight obstruction with action’ by calling on the Senate to work with the House on these important initiatives.”





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