In The News

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) — Like everything in modern political times, the reaction to President Joe Biden’s Tuesday evening State of the Union address fell along party lines.

U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Georgia, said Biden "failed miserably" when given "the world stage last night, with the opportunity to address the struggles our country, and individuals across the nation, are facing, offer solutions to these problems, and give the country confidence in our future."

"Americans who expected to hear about our vulnerability to spying by our top adversary, China, walked away without him even addressing the issue," Loudermilk said in a statement. "Those concerned about our economy, which is struggling to avoid a full-blown recession, were only told that the economy is great. For those desperate to hear solutions for the nationwide rampant rise of violent crime against Americans, we were given tough talk about aggressively hunting down and prosecuting those who fraudulently took COVID bailout money.

"...For a nation desperately needing to feel confidence in our national security, our economy, and new opportunities…we were given none," Loudermilk added.

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Georgia, offered a different assessment.

"President Biden is correct. The state of our union is stronger now than two years ago because of the work he did with House Democrats," Williams said in a statement. "Together, we made healthcare more affordable, created record numbers of jobs, and put money in people’s pockets.

"Even with all these accomplishments, we still have to finish the job. We’ll do that with the policies President Biden announced tonight: Orotecting reproductive freedom, investing in the care economy, increasing access to healthcare, guaranteeing paid leave, returning the Child Tax Credit, and ending cancer," Williams added. "These are bipartisan policies in every part of the country except Congress."

U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Georgia, blamed Biden for not taking responsibility for what he sees as bad decisions.

"His immigration policies created a border crisis, his spending policies created historic inflation, and his energy policies caused prices to skyrocket," Allen said in a statement. "...Seven in ten Americans now believe that the United States is on the wrong track, and instead of failing to address the four million illegal border crossings, 6.5 percent inflation, and a 45-percent hike in gas prices, President Biden should have committed to working with the new House Republican majority to get America back on the right track."