Senator King's Reaction to State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Angus S. King, Jr. (I-Maine), a member of the Armed Services, Budget, Rules, and Senate Select Intelligence Committees, released the following statement tonight after President Obama delivered his State of the Union address:

“Tonight, the President eloquently presented us with his vision for the future of America, describing the challenges that confront us today, as well as his solutions to crafting a better tomorrow. Central to his message was not only the desire for, but the vital need to achieve, greater economic growth and job creation within our country – a priority that is shared by every member of Congress irrespective of political affiliation. Now, the question becomes: are we, as members of Congress, prepared to work with each other and with the President, in good faith and in a nonpartisan fashion, to accomplish the necessary work of the American people? As I have said before, we are at a precipice in our nation’s history – a moment in which the problems that confront our country are arguably the greatest of our generation, and if we fail to act to address them, they will undoubtedly become the greatest challenges of our children’s generation as well.  It is not only incumbent upon us, but it is our responsibility – as stewards of this government – to see that the nation we bequeath to posterity is stronger than the one left to us.

“Our first step to right America’s path must be to immediately address the looming sequester cuts – a collection of severe, indiscriminate, across-the-board spending reductions, which if implemented, will wreak economic havoc in Maine and across the country.  In a recent Armed Services Committee hearing, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta characterized the current budgetary uncertainty as the single greatest threat to our national security. According to a recent study, Maine would lose approximately 7,000 jobs if the sequester is implemented. Further, that statistic does not even begin to describe the economic ripple effects sequestration would have throughout the state. That’s why it is crucial that the President and Congress work together to promptly alleviate this immediate threat – one that was originally intended to be so irresponsible and reckless that we could not even fathom considering it.  Tonight, I reiterate my call on the President and Congressional leadership to meet immediately to resolve this issue.

“It is also paramount that Congress immediately undertake the process of creating a long-term budget – and I’m pleased that an agreement reached earlier this year around the debt limit binds us to do so. Frankly, I am astounded that this nation has operated for the past four years on short-term continuing resolutions and haphazard budgeting laws, which are themselves often agreed to at the eleventh hour of an arbitrarily imposed deadline.  This reckless process has sapped America’s economic health and to continue functioning in this manner would be a disservice to the American people.  Instead, it’s important now more than ever before that we introduce desperately-needed stability so that investors, entrepreneurs, and consumers will have the confidence to invest in our economy. As a member of the Budget Committee, I will work tirelessly with my colleagues to see that a budget blueprint is created, and I look forward to being an integral member of those discussions.

“Undoubtedly, as a part of that process, we will need to explore additional revenues and spending reductions to proceed in a balanced manner.  We will also need to regain control of exploding government expenditures in healthcare, which are the primary source of future deficits.  At the same time, it’s vitally important that we not lose sight of priorities that have been the strength of our nation by allowing them to fall victim to uncompassionate cuts.  Simply said, we can neither tax nor slash our way to prosperity – we must continue to sensibly invest in education, technology, infrastructure, renewable energy, and environmental protections to ensure that these initiatives will continue to inspire our greatness for years to come. No one is going to be happy with how we get there, but we must make the tough choices and keep our promise to the American people.

“As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I also welcome the President’s announcement that half of our servicemen and women currently stationed in Afghanistan will be returning home by the beginning of next year. It’s imperative that we use this next year to continue to properly train and prepare Afghan security forces to take command of their security – and when our men and when in uniform return home, it is also imperative that we take steps to ensure that their transitions are smooth, that they have at their disposal any resources needed to cope with the change, and that we are doing all that we can to assist in their reintegration.

“Additionally, I was encouraged...

Senator Collins' Statement Following State of the Union Address

Washington, D.C.  – Following President Obama’s State of the Union address this evening, Senator Susan Collins released this statement:

            “The 113th Congress faces extraordinary challenges as we work to grow our nation’s economy, lower the unemployment rate, seek both short-term and long-term ways to reduce federal spending to bring the national debt under control, and debate a host of other important issues. I appreciate that the President tonight called for members of both parties to work together to address these challenges and I hope that he is sincere in his desire to work with all of us.

             “Our national debt now stands at an almost incomprehensible $16.4 trillion.  That ever-increasing sum, along with rising interest payments, is our legacy to future generations.  The President outlined an ambitious agenda tonight, but I am concerned that he did not explain how he intends to pay for it without further burdening middle-income families and small businesses.

             “Unfortunately, Congress and the President have missed several opportunities to enact a long-term plan to stabilize our debt, and instead we again face automatic cuts of nearly $1 trillion from defense and non-defense programs in the federal budget.  This “meat-ax” approach would put our economy and national security in jeopardy and is the least responsible way to address our debt.

             "We have exhausted all the alternatives — excessive borrowing, budgetary gimmicks, the blame game, and all of the other attempts to avoid responsibility.  Now we are left with that quality of our national character that has seen us through crises throughout history— our resolve and our willingness to pull together.”

President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address

President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Feb. 12, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

THE PRESIDENT:  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, fellow citizens:

Fifty-one years ago, John F. Kennedy declared to this chamber that “the Constitution makes us not rivals for power but partners for progress.”  (Applause.) “It is my task,” he said, “to report the State of the Union -- to improve it is the task of us all.”

Tonight, thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, there is much progress to report.  After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home.  (Applause.)  After years of grueling recession, our businesses have created over six million new jobs.  We buy more American cars than we have in five years, and less foreign oil than we have in 20.  (Applause.)  Our housing market is healing, our stock market is rebounding, and consumers, patients, and homeowners enjoy stronger protections than ever before.  (Applause.)

So, together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and we can say with renewed confidence that the State of our Union is stronger.  (Applause.)

But we gather here knowing that there are millions of Americans whose hard work and dedication have not yet been rewarded.  Our economy is adding jobs -- but too many people still can’t find full-time employment.  Corporate profits have skyrocketed to all-time highs -- but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have barely budged.

It is our generation’s task, then, to reignite the true engine of America’s economic growth -- a rising, thriving middle class.  (Applause.)

It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country -- the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, or who you love.

It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few; that it encourages free enterprise, rewards individual initiative, and opens the doors of opportunity to every child across this great nation.  (Applause.)

The American people don’t expect government to solve every problem.  They don’t expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue.  But they do expect us to put the nation’s interests before party.  (Applause.)  They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can.  For they know that America moves forward only when we do so together, and that the responsibility of improving this union remains the task of us all.

Our work must begin by making some basic decisions about our budget -- decisions that will have a huge impact on the strength of our recovery.

Over the last few years, both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion -- mostly through spending cuts, but also by raising tax rates on the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans.  As a result, we are more than halfway towards the goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction that economists say we need to stabilize our finances.  

Now we need to finish the job.  And the question is, how?

In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn’t agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars’ worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year.  These sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts would jeopardize our military readiness.  They’d devastate priorities like education, and energy, and medical research.  They would certainly slow our recovery, and cost us hundreds of thousands of jobs.  That’s why Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as the sequester, are a really bad idea.

Now, some in Congress have proposed preventing only the defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education and job training, Medicare and Social Security benefits.  That idea is even worse.  (Applause.)

Yes, the biggest driver of our long-term debt is the rising cost of health care for an aging population.  And those of us who care deeply about programs like Medicare must embrace the need for modest reforms -- otherwise, our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we need for our children, and jeopardize the promise of a secure retirement for future generations.

But we can’t ask senior citizens and working families to shoulder the entire burden of deficit reduction while asking nothing more from the wealthiest and the most powerful.  (Applause.)  We won’t grow the middle class simply by shifting the cost of health care or college onto families that are already struggling, or by forcing communities to lay off more teachers and more cops and more firefighters.  Most Americans -- Democrats, Republicans, and independents -- understand that we can’t just cut our way to prosperity.  They know that broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing their fair share.  And that’s the approach I offer tonight.
On Medicare, I’m prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission.  (Applause.)

Already, the Affordable Care...