Reaction to the State of the Union Address

Statement

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa tonight made the following comment on President Obama's State of the Union address.

"The Constitution created three branches of the federal government and checks and balances among the branches that are fundamental to our strength as a nation. Based on that, the President should use his pen and phone to build coalitions on Capitol Hill and sign legislation into law, not issue executive orders that Congress and the American people don't support.

"The President spoke about inequality. Congress and the President should find common ground and create economic growth that builds people up. We ought to reform the tax code to close loopholes and give job creators the certainty and confidence to expand, hire and raise wages. We can't tax and spend our way to prosperity through government.

"The President should work with Congress to renew Trade Promotion Authority so we have more places around the world to export what we make and grow in Iowa and other states.

"The President should promote energy independence and new jobs by approving the Keystone Pipeline and faithfully executing the 2007 federal law that created the Renewable Fuel Standard.

"Together, we should strengthen the patent system to clear the way for entrepreneurs and inventors to create, innovate and grow minus the patent trolls who abuse the system with frivolous lawsuits.

"Washington should first try to get the most bang for the buck out of existing programs before rushing to create more. For example, too many housing dollars go to executives and bureaucrats instead of people in need. The IRS whistleblower office is limping along, when it could be helping to collect billions of tax dollars that are already due. The Justice Department could criminally prosecute Wall Street executives who defraud consumers instead of settling for pennies on the dollar. The IRS could make public disclosures from colleges and other major tax-exempt groups more readily available or maybe even require more disclosure in exchange for their tax exemption so executive perks and other spending that contributes to college costs receives scrutiny.

"If the President is willing to work with Congress, there are a number of areas where we can work together to create economic growth and get more from the taxpayer dollars already in the U.S. treasury."

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