Statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address

Washington, DC (February 12, 2013) — Rep. Jan Schakowsky released the following statement on President Obama's State of the Union address:

"Tonight, the President spoke to the American people and focused on creating good jobs, strengthening our economy, reducing gun violence, passing comprehensive immigration reform and investing in the future of the middle class.

"Middle class families are the engine of our economic recovery, yet they've spent too much time without enough gas in the tank. It's time we rev up our economic policy and drive our middle class toward prosperity. We must make America a magnet for jobs and manufacturing by investing in clean energy and education.

"The President and Democrats agree, our approach to solving our fiscal challenges must include revenues from corporations shipping jobs overseas and asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. We need to raise revenues and find savings in a way that doesn't hurt the middle class, small businesses or seniors. We can't make cuts to Medicare, Social Security or Medicaid benefits even as we aggressively move to reduce costs by making these programs more efficient. I oppose using the chained CPI to reduce Social Security cost of living adjustments because seniors, whose average benefit is $15,000 a year, can't afford this.

"Our country's prosperity depends on the strength of our workers, small businesses and a growing middle class. House Democrats stand ready to work with the President and invest in the future of America."

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