MacArthur Responds to President's State of the Union

Statement

Today, Congressman Tom MacArthur released the following statement regarding the President's State of the Union address:

"In tonight's State of the Union, President Obama talked about some of his Administration's major goals, like creating jobs, easing burdens on middle class families, and increasing access to affordable education," MacArthur said. "These are some of the same goals I came to Washington to fight for, and I'm hopeful that we can find some areas where Congress and the White House can agree on solutions."

"However, I'm concerned that some of what the President discussed will just continue the trend of partisan gridlock and unilateral executive overreach," MacArthur added. "Increasing taxes by $320 billion to pay for a slew of new programs is a step in the wrong direction, especially when some of those new taxes will hit middle class families saving for college. On top of that, I think there are too many unanswered questions right now on some of his other ideas, like what an influx of federal money will do to the underlying cost of community college."

"Despite my concerns on some of his specific ideas, I'm hopeful that President Obama will try to work with Congress this year. We share a goal of helping the middle class, but it's going to take a commitment and cooperation to get things done."

Source