Congressman Carson Responds to President Obama's State of the Union Address

January 27, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, Congressman André Carson released the following statement in response to President Obama's first State of the Union address:

"Tonight, as we join President Obama to assess the state of our nation, it is important for all of us to recall the dire circumstances we faced one year ago. President Obama came into office last January staring down one of the worst economic crises in our nation's history. Amid skyrocketing jobless rates and widespread business closures, we were literally on the brink of economic collapse—on the verge of falling into a second Great Depression.

"In his first State of Union address, President Obama clearly demonstrated the leadership that brought him to office in 2008, laying out his vision for our economic recovery and national security. As a result of the Recovery Act's targeted investment in job creation and economic expansion, we have not only stopped the economic free fall—we have begun building a foundation for a sustainable and competitive 21st Century economy.

"While acknowledging our recent progress, I was pleased that the President kept his focus clearly on the challenges in front of us. He rightly acknowledged the struggles still facing average Americans. Nearly one in ten is still out of work. Millions are living without the security of health coverage. Too many children are being left behind in our classrooms. And families are cutting back substantially just to make ends meet. Meanwhile, deficits in Washington continue to rise.

"The President made clear tonight, that as a nation, we must continue to make the types of targeted capital infusions that will create jobs and put us on a path to long-term prosperity. We need to jumpstart private sector job creation with strategic investments in small businesses, green technology and clean energy, and roads, rail and other critical transportation infrastructure. We have to lift up the middle-class—the backbone of our economy—which has faced a decade of declining household incomes, eroding retirement security and escalating tuition costs. And we have to push forward with meaningful health reform, which will not only provide access to care for millions who currently go without, but also allow us to save taxpayers billions of dollars by cutting waste and addressing inefficiencies in our system.

"Finally, I was pleased the President spoke firmly on the critical need to address our rising federal deficit. Clearly, if we are to ever achieve long-term fiscal stability, it is time for Washington to get serious about reigning in our national debt. It is true that our debt rose astronomically under President Bush, but today it is our responsibility to look forward and begin adopting the policies that will turn this trend around and bring us back to real economic prosperity.

"The President made clear that 2010 is the year to make tough choices and take bold action. We must cut spending on programs that are not working and find creative ways to fund the critical investments we need to make to get our economy on a path to sustained, long-term prosperity and growth."

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Congressman Carson Responds to President Obama's State of the Union Address