SC Congressional Delegation Reacts to State of the Union Speech

President Barack Obama delivered his fifth State of the Union address to the House of Representatives and the Senate. The full text of Obama's remarks can be found here. Obama focused on the economy, the gun control debate and troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

South Carolina's congressional contingent issued the following responses:

Sen. Tim Scott

“The President had an opportunity tonight to show the country he was willing to work together with Republicans to solve our most pressing issues. Instead, he chose to double down on his big government policies. We have a spending problems here in Washington—a problem that we cannot tax our way out of.  For an example, the President tried to pass the buck on sequestration tonight by taxing his way out of it. Let’s be clear: the sequester is his, and his alone. Republicans have offered and passed multiple solutions to save jobs and ensure our nation’s security is not compromised by these cuts while still working to solve our spending problem.

To call for even more government spending and even higher taxes is borderline unbelievable - taking more money out of the pockets of hardworking American families is not the way to kick start our economy. We need to unleash opportunities for all Americans, and that comes from a tax code that encourages success and a government that has its own checkbook in balance. I was very disappointed by the tone and the substance of the President’s speech, but I hope we can all come together to do what is right and what is best for the American people.”

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-2)

“With a national debt of over sixteen trillion dollars, record unemployment on the rise, and a shrinking national GDP, now is the time for the President to work with Congress to achieve balanced solutions to put our economy back on the path to prosperity. This evening’s remarks by President Obama conveyed to the American people that our Commander in Chief does not believe we have a spending problem. Instead, he claimed that he is willing to work with House Republicans to solve the tremendous issues facing our nation. Based on the past four years, his rhetoric does nothing but guarantee empty promises.

“Last Congress, House Republicans passed legislation that supported an all-of-the-above energy proposal, a balanced-approach replacement for the impending sequester, and a national security strategy that kept American families safe. We were able to conquer our objectives while striving to put our fiscal house in order. Unfortunately, the President and his colleagues in the Senate have refused to consider our efforts or even negotiate with us. 

"Over the next four years, the only way our nation will begin to fully recover is if the President begins to change course. It is my hope that he will extend an olive branch and work with House Republicans to help put our economy back on the right path."

Rep. James Clyburn (D-6)

“Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial and proclaimed ‘We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.’ Tonight President Obama stood in the well of the U.S. House of Representatives, and echoed Dr. King’s sentiment. He took up the mantle of Dr. King in declaring, ‘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 of ours.’

“I applaud his vision, and I look forward to working with the President and my colleagues in Congress to get our country on a path of opportunity through economic development, job creation and investing in education, infrastructure and innovation to move our country forward. For too long, we have been hearing why it can’t be done. President Obama reminded us tonight that it can be done, we just have to have the political will to do it.”

Rep. Tom Rice (R-7)

“It is no surprise that President Obama delivered another lofty, grandiose speech tonight,” said Rice.  “The President is a gifted orator, and we have heard this type of rhetoric in every one of his State of the Union Addresses, but we have had enough rhetoric.  It is time for leadership.”

“In his 2009 address to the nation, the President vowed to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term – last year we had a $1.1 trillion deficit,” Rice said.  “In his 2010 address, Obama pledged that ObamaCare would allow Americans to keep their health insurance – earlier this month the Congressional Budget Office estimated that seven million Americans will be forced off their employer-based insurance due to ObamaCare. Then, in 2011, the President assured us that he would get rid of regulations that hurt job growth – but in 2012, over-reaching federal bureaucrats added more than $236 billion in new regulations. Finally, in last year’s address, Obama assured us that he would work to develop every source of American energy – the EPA’s proposed regulations on Coal Ash will cost more than $75 billion and countless jobs due to the closure of more than 300 coal power plants.”

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