Ribble Response to the State of the Union Address

Statement

U.S. Representative Reid Ribble released the following response to President Obama's 2016 State of the Union address to Congress:

"Tonight we heard what President Obama believes are his biggest achievements as well as his vision for America's future--conveniently resembling a campaign pitch to put another Democrat in the White House next year.

However, he did cover a lot of ground, and there are certainly places where we agree:

First, it is completely unacceptable for anyone who has served in our military to be denied the benefits they earned. Whether we are tackling dishonesty and incompetence at the VA or veterans who end up living on the streets, I know I speak for all of my Republican colleagues when I say that we are committed to serving those who have served our nation.

Second, although we have work to do, America is still hands-down the greatest nation in the world. One of our biggest challenges is the tremendous number of people who want to live in America and are willing to risk their lives to do so. We are a proud nation of immigrants, and our immigration system must work better to continue that tradition in a safe and legal way.

Third, it is a tragedy any time a life ends too soon in our communities. Whether it takes the form of suicide, gun violence, illicit drugs, or anything else, we should be working together to make actual progress in keeping Americans safe and ensure that justice is administered fairly--not just political statements.

However, tonight I hoped to hear our Commander-in-Chief lay out a plan to take decisive action to lead in the fight against ISIS and Islamic terrorism worldwide. While President Obama is claiming limited success with a "coalition of allies," ISIS continues to occupy land that both Americans and foreign soldiers laid down their lives to secure. With Russia's help, Syria's brutal leader shows no sign of letting up either.

In the same vein, I hoped the President would address the ways his Administration could make both our immigration system and our refugee screening process safer and more rigorous. With recent ISIS-related arrests of refugees in Milwaukee and Houston, it is not an outlandish concern--as President Obama seems to suggest--that people who wish to harm our way of life are abusing our current system. In discussing the Syrian crisis, the President should have highlighted that compassion is not only the integration of refugees here in the U.S. It is also the $4.5 billion in relief that the American people have generously provided for displaced Syrians.

Finally, I hoped that the President would address the millions of people who haven't seen the job market improve in spite of the economic recovery he has touted. For too many families, there is still a significant amount of month left at the end of the money and upward mobility is out of reach. The continuous flow of costly new regulations like Obamacare is squeezing small businesses and their employees, clamping down on their ability to grow wages and support local economies.

Since I have been in Congress, only once has the President come over to the House of Representatives to try to work in good faith with House Republicans. I hoped that in his final address, he would show more desire to work together on the big issues that affect all Americans. Unfortunately, what we've gotten is just more of the same."

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