Lamar Smith Statement on the State of the Union

I hope that President Obama’s address tonight represents a real commitment to change the direction of his Administration’s policies, not simply a change in his rhetoric. The President campaigned as a moderate, spent the last two years pursuing policies far left of most of the country, and is now trying to once again come back to the center.

The President promised America that unemployment would stay below 8 percent. Instead, we have had 20 consecutive months of unemployment over 9 percent and a massive spending spree disguised as a “stimulus.” He promised he would reduce our deficit and tighten the government’s budget; instead, our deficit and our national debt have set new records. And we have seen the passage of a health care bill that will not decrease costs as promised, but increase national health care spending by more than $311 billion.

For the 15 million Americans out of work today, words matter less than results. President Obama must follow through on implementing the tough solutions that are required to deal with our serious challenges. We need a new path forward that cuts spending and sets the foundation for economic prosperity and job creation.