WASHINGTON – Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14) issued the following statement tonight in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address.
Mack said:
“Tonight, President Obama outlined an ambitious agenda for our nation. While we all share the President’s goals of seeing the United States thrive and prosper, the American people do not share his desire to enact Big Government solutions to solve our problems.
“In his speech, President Obama proposed a spending freeze on nonsecurity discretionary spending. All we’ve seen and heard from him about fiscal responsibility over the last year is rhetoric. His proposed spending freeze is toothless window dressing. Even under his own numbers, it will only shave approximately $15 billion off of this year’s trillion-dollar deficit.
“Where was President Obama’s call for fiscal responsibility last year when the Democrats in Congress and the Administration pursued a relentless increase in government spending that only compounded the nation’s debt problems? If President Obama wants to get serious about the federal deficit, he can start by cutting spending – and then freezing it.
“President Obama’s idea to double the child and dependent tax credit is a step in the right direction, but these minimal proposals will not do enough to help hardworking American families recover from this recession, nor help the private sector create jobs and spur our economic recovery. One action the President can take immediately is to lock in the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, which are set to expire next year.
“The President still isn’t listening to the American people. While tonight he once again reiterated his goal for a government takeover of health care, the American people have soundly and repeatedly rejected it. Instead, they seek free-market solutions that allow them and their doctors, and not bureaucrats and politicians, to make their health decisions.
“I’m disappointed that President Obama did not address the dangerous threat that Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and other thugocrats in the Western Hemisphere pose to our region. Enacting free trade agreements with our allies like Colombia and Panama are essential to our nation’s and Latin America’s prosperity and security. I urge the President to stand on the side of freedom and against those who promote tyranny and terror.
“Finally, we remember tonight the brave men and women serving overseas, both in combat and on humanitarian missions, and a grateful nation recognizes the sacrifices they and their families have made to keep America free and secure. We must continue to ensure that our troops have the resources they need to complete their mission in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other regions of the world. The President’s plan last year to commit 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan is a smart move, but he must have the resolve to see our mission through to the end.
“President Obama stressed the importance of bipartisanship in working to solve our nation’s problems. I hope that Republicans and Democrats can come together to do what’s best for Southwest Florida and our nation to promote free-market, limited government, and pro-freedom solutions that ensure our nation’s freedom, security and prosperity for generations to come.”

Source: Office of Congressman Connie Mack