President Obama delivered his seventh State of the Union (SOTU) since taking office. In response, U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) issued the following statement:
“Hard-working Americans yearn for concrete solutions to our nation’s challenges. Yet tonight, we heard more out-of-touch rhetoric that neither soothes concerns, nor gives reason for hope,” said Pearce
“Far too many New Mexicans are still out of work. According to recent Labor Department data,unemployment in our state is still at 6.4 percent. The national debt now exceeds a crushing $18 trillion. That’s at least $55,000 on the backs of every man, woman and child. It’s wrong and it’s immoral. The Obama Administration’s National Debt tab hurts every American -- stifling job growth and handicapping wages. It also threatens safety net programs and takes away dollars from our national defense.
“If the president were serious about jobs, he would announce today that he supports the bipartisan Keystone XL pipeline project.
“Instead, the President touts more tired, tax-and-spend policies to fund bigger federal programs -- giving Washington more power. Saddling Americans with higher taxes to hire more bureaucrats does not help small businesses on Main Street and doesn’t give Americans what they need – good-paying, private sector jobs.
“The American people spoke loudly in November. They don’t want more taxes, fees and regulations from Washington. They want jobs. They want lower taxes and they want to be safe and secure in their homes and communities. I will fight to ensure that their voice, expressed in November, is at the center of our national agenda,” Pearce added.
All the growth the president is taking credit for has done nothing to lift working families. In fact, income inequality has worsened since he took office.
· Only the top 10 percent have seen incomes rise. Data from the Federal Reserve shows that “even though real gross domestic product grew by 2.1 percent … only families at ‘the very top of the ladder saw widespread income gains.”
· Working families are actually making less than they did in 2009. A recent study found that “in June 2014 … the median household income was $53,891, down from $55,589 in inflation-adjusted dollars when the so-called economic expansion began in June 2009.
· Job growth has not come “from the middle” as the president promised. According to a Reutersanalysis of labor data, “jobs have been added at the top and bottom of the wage scale” but “in the middle, the economy has shed positions - whether in traditional trades like machining or electrical work, white-collar jobs in human resources, or technical ones like computer operators.”
The newly-elected House has already passed several job-creating proposals, including the Keystone XL pipeline and restoring the 40-hour workweek.
· Despite promising in 2010 to never leave “a mountain of debt,” President Obama has added $7.5 trillion to the National Debt.
· He has proposed tax hikes in every SOTU address he’s given. Whether it was Obamacare’s $1 trillion tax hike in 2010 or support for the “Buffet Rule” in 2013, every SOTU speech has included calls for a tax increase. This year was no different, with the President calling for a capital gains tax hike that discourages investment in new jobs as well as job-boosting research and development.