Monday night President Barack Obama gave his first State of the Union Address. The president focused on job creation, federal spending priorities, and health care reform. These topics hit home for Michigan politicians. Here are some statements in reaction to the President's State of the Union Address:
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm issued the following statement on President Obama's State of the Union address:
"I think the president gave a wonderful speech tonight, and I believe the people of Michigan will take heart that President Obama is focused like a laser on the one thing we need most - jobs. Among the programs he outlined tonight, I particularly applaud him for giving tax breaks to those who create jobs here rather than for those who ship jobs overseas. I appreciate his no nonsense call to unity at this challenging moment for many Americans who are hurting, and I look forward to working with him to ensure full economic recovery for Michigan and the United States."
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U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., issued this statement following President Obama’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.“President Obama had the right focus and set the right tone tonight. His focus was right where it belongs: on jobs and the economy, and on reforming the financial sector to end the abuses and excesses that put us in the economic hole we’re in.
“The president was eloquent in his optimism, and he rightly said that we’re all responsible for working together to tackle the challenges we face. He acknowledged his own mistakes, and he avoided pointing partisan fingers. He called on all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to join in seeking solutions to the problems we face.”
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Mike Bouchard, Republican candidate for governor, offered the following comments on tonight’s State of the Union address by President Obama:
“The president’s remarks were long with status quo rhetoric but short on courageous, positive economic reform. Michigan’s economically battered families and job providers waited for assurance that he would tackle the fiscal problems plaguing our nation. Sadly, rather than commitments of fiscal prudence and government restraint, we were subjected to vague suggestions of slower spending and continued government overreach.
“Michigan has had the nation’s highest unemployment rate for 43 months, yet the president offered little to help restore our thousands of lost jobs. With all due respect to the president, sound bites don’t put food on the tables of unemployed Michigan workers. They deserve better.
“This is not the time to be timid. We need leaders who have the nerve to do what needs to be done, regardless of political consequences. As we’ve seen in Michigan over the past eight years, indecisiveness, incorrect focus and inexperience can be devastating. Skirting the issues will not turn our state or nation around. Reviving our economy demands courage, leadership and vision.
“That’s what I bring to the table. I look forward to sharing my blueprint for fixing Lansing and getting Michigan back to work as I continue meeting with families and job providers across our great state.”
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Tonight, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) made the following statement in reaction to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address.
“Tonight, I am pleased that the President reiterated his commitment to strengthening our economy and creating jobs. The priorities that the President laid out this evening will continue to help our manufacturers build these new technologies in America, create jobs, and move our economy forward. It is also critical that small businesses will have access to much-needed capital to make investments and grow their companies.
“As a member of the Senate Finance, Energy, Agriculture, and Budget Committees, I have been deeply involved in the efforts to refocus our country on clean energy manufacturing, small business, and the challenges of middle-class families. I look to working with President Obama in the year ahead with a sense of resolve to focus every day on creating jobs in Michigan.”
-U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
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U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, MI-08, released the following statement tonight regarding President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address:
“While Michigan families can certainly appreciate the President focusing on getting America back to work, he unfortunately continues to advance policies that will cost more jobs. His plans to create a massive new energy tax and have the government run America’s health care system from Washington, D.C., are both job killers. You don’t create jobs by making more Americans pay higher electricity bills, or by making the commute to work or visits to the doctor more expensive.
“I do give the President credit for showing concern about the largest ever federal deficit, but just like you don’t lose weight by gaining 100 pounds before you start, you don’t fix our nation’s economy by freezing spending at the highest deficit level in the history of the country.
“Washington D.C. needs to put its appetite for spending on a diet.”
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Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement in reaction to the President’s State of the Union:
“Americans aren’t looking for another good speech; they are looking for a good job. Unfortunately, tonight we got another speech instead of a concrete plan that will create jobs. When you add the tax increases that are expected to be in the President’s budget on Monday to pay for the poll-tested proposals we heard tonight, it is tough to see how small businesses will actually get back on their feet and be in a position to start hiring again anytime soon.
“I’m equally concerned that the President is not listening to the concerns the American people have about his health care bill and the way he went about writing it with Democrats in Congress. There were far too many backroom deals that favored special interest group after special interest group, producing a bill that would cause most Americans to see their health care premiums go up and seniors' Medicare benefits slashed. I hope the President will step back, start over, and work with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to find a bipartisan path forward to actually lower health care costs and the price of coverage.
“As for trade, actions speak louder than words. Over the past year, this Administration and Democrats in Congress have done little to promote U.S. exports even though we all agree that exporting more American made goods and services will create jobs here at home. The President's inaction has put American companies and workers at a crippling disadvantage internationally as other countries race ahead to take these markets from us. I welcome the President's new sentiment and hope he follows through -- I am committed to helping open new markets to create good-paying U.S. jobs.”
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