WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spent 80 minutes on the House floor Tuesday speaking to the successes of the economy, education, immigration, and foreign policy during his third State of the Union address.
Trump made a case for his reelection during his prime-time address, which also came on the eve of the Senate vote on his impeachment.
Several Colorado politicians released wide-ranging statements after the address, each voicing their opinion.
Colorado U.S. Senator responses:
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado)
“Tonight the President offered a call to put division behind us and to come together to create new opportunities for Americans from every walk of life.
“A divided Congress does not mandate a divisive Congress. There is ample opportunity for us to work across the aisle to provide strong national security, to lower health care costs for American families, and to repair our country’s crumbling infrastructure. There’s bipartisan support in Congress and across our great nation to fix our broken immigration system, address rising suicide rates, and protect the public lands that we all cherish.
“We must remember that much more unites us than divides us as Americans. I hope that our nation’s elected leaders can rise to meet this moment to work in a bipartisan fashion to solve the most challenging issues facing the American people. It’s what Coloradans demand.”
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado)
“Not surprisingly, tonight’s speech was full of half-truths and outright lies. In his boasts about the economy, the president ignored that the American economy is creating jobs at a slower rate than when Barack Obama was in his second term. He ignored that farm bankruptcies are at an eight-year high as a result of his reckless trade policies. He bragged instead about his tax cut that gave $37 billion to the wealthiest Americans and large corporations.
“Everywhere I go in Colorado, people tell me they can’t afford some combination of housing, health care, child care, or higher education – in other words, a middle-class life. They’re worried about their children’s future. Political rhetoric and inflated statistics will do nothing to solve the real challenges they face every day.”
Colorado Governor response:
Gov. Jared Polis
“We are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history where we must reject the manufactured division that is being shoved forward for the sake of political gain and work together on bold efforts to expand opportunity for all. That’s why in Colorado, we’re working to invest in education, fighting to lower the cost of health care, address the economic and moral threat of climate change and create good-paying jobs.
“I appreciate Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s acknowledgment of the important value and success of our bipartisan free full-day kindergarten program which is saving parents money and helping Colorado’s students.”
Colorado congressperson responses:
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colorado)
"Thanks to President Trump’s pro-growth policies, the state of our union is strong. Colorado’s Fourth District joins communities across the nation in this historic economic success: wages are up, our state’s unemployment rate has hit a record low, and our labor force participation rate is rising.
I look forward to building on this momentum in Congress by focusing on policies that support and promote working families, lower the cost of health care for Americans, secure our borders and protect our nation’s national security."
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colorado)
“Donald Trump just arrived at the U.S. Congress to give a campaign speech. It’s a shame, with everything going on in the world right now, that he has stooped that low.”
Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Colorado)
“For rural Coloradans in the Third District, the importance of the economic success story showcased tonight by the President cannot be understated. By establishing freer, fairer and reciprocal trade deals with our biggest trading partners; reducing bureaucracy and regulatory costs for Main Street; rebuilding America’s military; fighting the opioid epidemic; and promoting American energy dominance, the President is putting our interests first. Tonight demonstrated that partisan Washington politics should not take precedent over the pro-growth policies embraced by this administration. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and the President on maintaining this positive momentum.”
Colorado Republican National Committee spokesperson Kyle Kohli:
“As President Trump addressed Americans at the State of the Union tonight, his unparalleled record of success in his first three years is clear: two dangerous terrorist leaders killed, two Supreme Court Justices confirmed, and two major trade deals signed into law. America is thriving under President Trump’s leadership as we are experiencing the strongest economy we have ever seen, and the best is yet to come.”
Colorado Democratic Party Chair Morgan Carroll:
“The State of the Union is in deep trouble. We have a President who does not think any laws or ethics apply to him, and a rubber-stamp US Senate that is complicit in helping him confirm other corrupt and incompetent people to the Courts and to every federal agency. He has normalized lying from the highest office and embraces white supremacists as ‘very fine people’.
“Under Donald Trump, Coloradans' healthcare has been under constant attack, prescription drugs have skyrocketed, wage growth has stagnated, and the ultra-wealthy have gotten even richer. The state of our union and our international reputation has suffered greatly under Donald Trump, and new leadership is urgently needed. Our country deserves better than a divisive and corrupt President who thinks he's above the law -- that's why Colorado will lead the way in ensuring Trump is defeated on Election Day in November.”
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