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Washington, D.C.  – Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) released the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union speech:

“Unfortunately, tonight’s State of the Union fits within a long tradition of speeches that deploy platitudes in support of a long list of policy goals that seem to be forgotten by the White House as soon as they are mentioned.

“To give just one example, in his 2012 State of the Union, President Obama said he ‘want(ed) to cut through the maze of confusing programs,’ that make up federal workforce development system. The House passed a bill, the SKILLS Act, which would do just that. The SKILLSAct passed with bipartisan support, and fulfills a Presidential objective, but it is languishing in Harry Reid’s Senate. The House has passed over thirty jobs bills only to have them go unconsidered in the Senate.  The legislative process is about focus and effort. It’s my hope the President will use this year to engage with Congress and spur action on these necessary pieces of legislation.

“As a final note, I disagree with the President’s contention that what most Americans want is for all of us in Washington to ‘focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations.’ Americans want Washington to stop interfering in their lives. Five years of ever-increasing regulations-including a disastrous government takeover of the health care system-have not restored our nation’s economic vitality. The President needs to scale back his agenda, help rein in Washington’s endless appetite for spending and regulation and allow Americans to get back to work.”

Congresswoman Foxx represents North Carolina’s 5^th District.