From pennlive.com
Pennsylvania’s senators and members of the House delegation offered their reactions to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Following are excerpts from statements issued by the lawmakers.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey
“The President should have pledged tonight ‘no more shutdowns’ and committed to taking additional steps to help the 820,000 federal employees recover from the adverse impact of his government shutdown. He also missed an opportunity to speak to America’s middle class families who are struggling to make ends meet. He could have committed to a substantial tax cut for those families. He could have talked to working parents about a comprehensive agenda for their children – investing in education, safeguarding their healthcare, rebuilding their schools and protecting them from violence.”
A Scranton Democrat, Casey is Pennsylvania’s senior senator and just began his third term.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey
“President Trump also made a reasonable case for enhancing security at our southern border. The obvious, necessary solution to our budget impasse is a compromise that improves border security – including physical barriers where requested by Customs and Border Protection – and delivers on some Democrat priorities, too. I hope Speaker Pelosi will come to the table and finally negotiate in good faith.
“On trade, I continue to believe that the administration is taking us down the wrong path. Tariffs on products imported into the United States are taxes, paid by American consumers, that harm American families and workers.”
A Lehigh County Republican, Toomey is in the midst of his second term in the Senate.
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry
“The President outlined his vision for bipartisan leadership on a variety of issues including border security and legal immigration, protecting the American worker, bolstering infrastructure, curbing the cost of healthcare and enhancing our National security. I’m hopeful that Congress will come together in a spirit of cooperation on these issues for the benefit of the American People. The results of the President’s agenda are clear: the economy is booming.”
A Republican, Perry represents the 10th District, which includes Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York counties. He just began his fourth term.
U.S. Rep. Madeline Dean
“While the President adopted an uncharacteristically bipartisan tone, his goals – and his behavior – prove the disingenuousness of his words. And what was most striking was what we didn’t hear – a desire to promote education, protect the environment, defend the dignity of labor, combat gun violence, and end the inhumane practice of separating families at the border.”
Dean, a newly elected Democrat, represents the 4th District, which includes Montgomery and Berks counties.
U.S. Rep. John Joyce
“Due to his tax cuts and aggressive trade policies, our country has seen one of our strongest economic booms in decades. And workers in the 13th District have reaped the success of the President’s pro-growth policies, as shown by nearly a 23 percent decline in unemployment during the past two years in the ten counties that I represent.
“President Trump is correct. We face a monumental crossroads in the coming months – will we strive to work together and continue making commonsense reforms, or will we revert to the status quo of Washington gridlock?”
A Blair County Republican, Joyce represents the 13th district, which includes Adams and Franklin counties and part of Cumberland County. He’s just beginning his first term.
U.S. Rep. Susan Wild
“I believe there are many areas where we can work with the president to build an economy that works for every American, including on an infrastructure package to rebuild our roads and bridges and create jobs nationwide, and working toward fair trade deals that will help our businesses and working families in Pennsylvania thrive. I was, however, hoping to hear a commitment from him to work with Congress to avoid another shutdown.”
A newly elected Democrat, Wild represents the 7th District, which includes Lehigh County, Northampton County and part of Monroe County.