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WASHINGTON – Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., tonight issued the following response regarding President Obama's State of the Union address:

“The American people spoke loud and clear in November, but it’s evident from tonight’s State of the Union that President Obama wasn’t listening. Despite a rejection of his policies at the ballot box, the president continues to propose outdated, Washington-centered ideas that simply don’t work.

“The nation’s tax code is in desperate need of reform, but I wholeheartedly reject the notion that higher taxes for the employers and workers who drive our economy is the solution. Hardworking Americans pay enough in taxes, and they deserve better than failed class warfare gimmicks.

“Making higher education affordable and attainable for America’s students must be a priority, but President Obama’s $60 billion proposal to provide free community college tuition is the wrong approach for the federal government to take. Rather than yet another top-down federal government boondoggle, we need to focus on new ways to promote innovation, access and completion, which starts with the states and individual institutions that are best suited to tailor solutions to their local needs.

“The American people want Washington to stop interfering in their lives, and they don’t need more one-size-fits-all federal dictates. Republicans have a vision for the future, but President Obama appears to be mired in the past. 

“Tonight the president expressed a willingness to work with Republicans, and I hope that gesture is sincere. In the past, working together too often meant agreeing with whatever the president said. It’s time for President Obama to live up to his rhetoric. House Republicans are eager to work together to increase opportunities for all Americans and empower people, not Washington.”

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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx is currently serving her sixth term as the representative of North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and is the elected Republican Conference Secretary. Dr. Foxx is the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and serves as Vice Chair of the House Rules Committee.