Rep. Kelly Responds to State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) – a member of the House Ways and Means Committee – issued the following statement tonight in response to President Obama’s 2016 State of the Union Address.

“Tonight President Obama described the state of our union as he wishes it were, not as it actually is. He portrayed our economy as acceptably strong when growth is in fact nowhere near as robust as it could and should be. He spoke of national security, but completely ignored the international instability that his policies are leaving behind and has made us less safe. He proposed an expensive and utterly unrealistic list of new programs for taxpayers to fund but did not mention our near-$19 trillion national debt even once. Furthermore, while admitting the worsening division among Americans and their government, he failed to take any responsibility for deliberately pitting different groups of citizens against each other and pushing the boundaries of his power beyond the Constitution’s limits. The sad truth of the matter is that after seven years of trying to drag an inherently center-right country in an aggressive left-wing direction, President Obama has left the state of our great union weaker, more divided, more anxious, more insecure, and much less hopeful than when he first took office. The nation needs a new president to restore unity, prosperity, strength, and confidence to our republic more than ever.”

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