Wilson Responds to the State of the Union
Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02) issued the following statement this evening after President Obama concluded his State of the Union address:
"With a national debt reaching over $18 trillion and an economy defined by stagnant wages and weak economic growth, many Americans hoped that in his speech tonight, President Obama would reassure us he would work with Congress to grow our economy, create jobs, and get our nation on a path to prosperity. Sadly, we heard more rhetoric highlighting the President's continued refusal to work with Congress and instead, promote his own agenda – an agenda that includes policies a majority of Americans oppose that raise taxes and destroy jobs.
"Tonight, the President made it clear that he supports tax increases that destroy jobs and discourage America's small businesses from hiring. The Administration's policies have failed to raise wages – in fact, during his Administration, per capita income is down nearly $3,000 per family. His policies also have caused a shift towards many Americans settling for part-time jobs or giving up the job search entirely. In December 2014, the labor force participation rate fell to its lowest point in over 30 years. This is not an economic recovery to be celebrating, and the American people deserve better.
"House Republicans have passed bipartisan, pro-growth bills to create American jobs. We've passed bills to utilize our nation's abundant energy resources to grow our economy and lower energy costs, scale back excessive and burdensome regulations to enable small businesses to hire workers, and cut wasteful federal spending to ensure our massive debt is not passed on to our children and grandchildren. Yet, the President ignores our proposals or threatens to veto them.
"This Congress, we will continue working to serve the priorities of Americans. We are also focused on the nation's response to terrorist threats, especially in light of recent attacks in France and cyber attacks on our homeland. Cyber security threats endanger both our national security and our economic wellbeing as these threats can undermine our nation's businesses that drive our economy.
"As the Chairman of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, I am committed to promoting efforts to combat cyber security threats and keep American families safe. I look forward to seeing how the Administration's cyber security policies can improve our nation's defense against these threats, but will remain focused on ensuring the best policies for safety are enacted.
"It is my hope that President Obama will decide to work with Congress on all fronts to empower the lives of Americans. It is bold to say that the State of the Union is strong when 8.7 million Americans are out of work. Now is the time for a productive approach that will really bolster middle-class Americans, help them keep more of their hard-earned paychecks, and grow high-paying American jobs from the ground-up."