Pete Sessions Responds to the State of the Union Address

For the past seven years, we have listened to the "Lecturer-in-Chief" use his State of the Union address to paint a less-than-accurate picture of the state of our nation. Tonight was no different. While we were spared the usual long list of action items on his liberal agenda, we instead were subjected to a virtual victory lap by a president who counts as ‘successes’ the very policies that have made the lives of Americans so much harder over the last eight years.

As I look back on his time in office, I don’t see unbridled success. I see a growing debt burdening our future generations. I see a healthcare law that has raised prices on millions of Americans, forced businesses to shut their doors, and caused more than 5.6 million individuals to lose their preferred care. I see a shrinking job market with a labor force participation rate at 62.4% - its lowest level since the 1970’s. I see our Gross Domestic Product annual growth hovering around an anemic 2%, hindered by the nearly $73 billion of regulatory burdens imposed by this Administration. I see an Administration that has treated the Constitution as a mere recommendation instead of the supreme law of the land and one dedicated to restricting our Second Amendment rights. I see a porous border, continued disregard for our rule of law, and preventable crimes committed by criminal illegal aliens. I see ISIS growing by the second and radical Islamic terrorists posing imminent danger to Americans both at home and abroad. To me, these don’t seem like examples of a successful presidency.

This president continues to talk a big talk and cherry pick the facts, but the truth of the matter is that we have a big, unchecked federal government that has restrained job growth, blatantly ignored our nation’s laws, and failed to provide leadership in the fight against the Islamic State. I have no doubt that in his last year he will attempt to circumvent the legislative process and ram through his liberal agenda like he has time and time again. However, I will not sit back and let him singlehandedly shred our Constitution and destroy everything that this nation stands for.

With or without him, Republicans will work to ensure a better future for all Americans. We will work to create a free-market based solution for our healthcare system and empower individuals to make the best healthcare decisions for themselves and their families, instead of having the government decide for them. We will get the federal government out of the way, reinvigorate our economy, and mirror the success that my home state of Texas has had with lower regulation and lower taxes – which has added more than 1.2 million US jobs since 2007. We will protect the right of all Americans to keep and bear arms and address the true driver of senseless violence - mental health issues. We will double down on our efforts to strengthen border security, end sanctuary cities, and protect our rule of law. We will take a strong, united front against radical Islamic jihadists, seek out these terrorists, and destroy them.

As we move forward in this year, our country cannot afford to have another weak leader. We, as the Republican Party, will step in and be the leaders that this country needs and deserves. We have a bold agenda that will unleash the potential that the Obama Administration has stifled with its onerous liberal policies. We will work diligently to provide the American people with the opportunities that they need and deserve and create a safer, stronger America.

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