Tipton Reaction to the President's State of the Union Address

"While the President congratulated himself on a recovering American economy, the economic challenges that the people of Colorado's 3rd District continue to face are not cause for celebration. The labor participation rate remains at a 36 year low, with tens-of-millions of working age Americans unable to find the work they need to makes ends meet, and the middle class is shrinking every year. Accounting for those that have stopped looking for work because of a lack of opportunity, many of the 29 counties in Colorado's 3rd District are suffering from double digit unemployment. Opportunities for growth have been blocked by overreaching and punitive federal regulations that have restricted access to public land, closed small businesses and prevented many more from opening their doors.

"Tax increases, as the President is pushing once again, won't solve these continued economic challenges or grow the middle class, nor will they address broad problems within the tax code or shrink the national debt. The President is even going so far as to propose taxing college savings plans that have been exempt from taxation in the past so he can fund his plan to pay for community college--where is the sense in that?

"Instead of pushing for more divisive tax increases, the President could take a look at the many pieces of legislation passed with bipartisan support in the last Congress as a starting point to move forward on areas of common interest. Among those bills are efforts we passed out of the 3rd District to protect private water rights, address forest health and encourage responsible all-of-the-above domestic energy production.

"It's time for a new approach and fresh ideas to empower people and strengthen Main Street.

"To get there, we need a fairer, flatter and simpler tax code, decreased federal regulations and red tape, a long-term plan for responsible all-of-the-above domestic energy development, affordable and accessible healthcare for all Americans, and federal budgeting that ends deficit spending and begins to pay down the staggering national debt. Economic power should be in the hands of hardworking Americans not controlled by a centralized Washington bureaucracy.

"I believe that we have an opportunity to find common ground to strengthen the middle class and grow the tax base by incentivizing the type of innovation and investment that ignites private sector growth and fuels job creation and higher wages. For that to happen, the President will need to work with the House and Senate that the American people sent to Washington. Executive overreach is being checked, and Congress will continue to aggressively fight back if the President continues down this go-nowhere path.

"We will be working in Congress to address the challenges facing our nation and restore opportunity for students, families and all Americans striving for the American Dream. I sincerely hope that the President will put politics aside and actively work with us to solve America's challenges, rather than sit on the sidelines with a veto pen."

Source