Congresswoman Esty's Response to the President Obama's State of the Union Address

Statement

Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) released the following statement regarding President Obama's State of the Union tonight.

"Tonight, President Obama laid out a plan for the year ahead. I'm pleased the President focused on opportunities--opportunities for collaboration and action to grow our economy and create good-paying, middle class jobs.

"Like the President, I'm optimistic about efforts to better prepare our workforce for the jobs of the future, and I'm excited by partnerships in Connecticut among manufacturers, small businesses, community colleges, and high schools to better align what's taught to what's needed in the 21st century.

"Specifically, the President highlighted two manufacturing hubs. Connecticut is actively pursuing a hub designation for a regional collaboration of companies and universities, the New England Consortium for Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation. This consortium would spur innovation through research and development. I'm fully committed to supporting this initiative and making the strongest case we can to get increased investment in our state.

"As we strive to better align workers' skills to jobs in demand, we must also make sure working families and those seeking jobs have the support they need. That means raising the federal minimum wage and extending emergency unemployment insurance, that means comprehensive immigration reform, and that means protecting the Social Security and Medicare benefits critical to retirement security, which folks have earned after a lifetime of hard work.

"And I'll continue my call to enact commonsense gun violence prevention reform in Congress so that our families and our communities are safer and stronger.

"Connecticut and our nation have a bright future ahead with great potential for growing jobs as we grow our economy and with opportunities to strengthen and empower America's middle class."

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