President Donald Trump stood in the front of the nation Tuesday night during his State of the Union Address, not shying away from controversial topics such as illegal immigration, gun control and the opioid topics.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge released the following statement regarding President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
“Tonight’s address is further proof that President Trump has kept his promises. President Trump has posted historic economic advances through business growth and deregulation, appointed two talented jurists to the U.S. Supreme Court and signed outstanding trade deals that will continue to improve the quality of life for all Americans. After years of over-regulation stifling businesses, hard-working Arkansas families finally feel a greater sense of hope for the future and their children’s future.
I look forward to working with the administration in 2020 to prioritize affordable healthcare that covers pre-existing conditions, establishing safe and legal immigration policies, supporting our military efforts around the world and continuing to solidify America’s place as a global powerhouse. I applaud President Trump’s strides in enhancing the American dream and support him in his efforts to come.”
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State Congressman Steve Womack released the following statement in response to the address.
“Tonight, President Trump delivered a powerful and inspiring speech. The United States is strong, and we have forged a new path of progress and opportunity.
There has been a resurgence of confidence and prosperity within our country. By putting the people first and implementing pro-growth policies, we have unleashed the next chapter of American greatness. With our economy booming, wages rising, and unemployment at historic lows – hardworking families are looking to the future with confidence.
We also know that there is no challenge too great for America. Whether it’s negotiating new trade deals, enhancing workforce training, securing our borders, confronting adversaries, or rebuilding our military—we have seen President Trump’s bold agenda turned into reality. These are promises that have been both made and kept despite unprecedented and desperate political distractions.
As we look ahead, we must build on this historic momentum and focus on the issues that contribute to the strength of Arkansas and America together.”
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U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman released the following statement in response to the address.
“President Trump’s address tonight reminded us of America’s founding principles of freedom, resilience and opportunity. Under this administration, Arkansas’ unemployment rate fell to its lowest rate on record – 3.4 percent – and our labor participation rate continues rising. Since January 2017, 50,000 new jobs have been created in Arkansas, and 85 opportunity zones are bringing renewed investments and awareness to places like Jefferson County.
The president also spoke tonight about planting 1 trillion trees, which is an initiative that I’m particularly excited about. I’m working on legislation that would do just this: plant 1 trillion trees by 2050, with the goal of sequestering carbon and incentivizing the use of wood products. This would benefit both southwest Arkansas’ and the country’s thriving forest industries, as well as change the mindset of future generations regarding environmental stewardship.
We’ve seen substantial American growth and change in recent years, but we still have a lot of work to do. I’m continuing the fight here in Washington to make lasting changes that benefit Arkansas’ businesses, farmers and communities. We have a bright future ahead, and I look forward to all that 2020 has in store.”
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U.S. Senator John Boozman released the following statement in response to President Trump’s State of the Union address:
Overall thoughts - "I think the president outlined a good vision for the future. We look forward to working with him on things like infrastructure. We’re in the process now of redoing the big highway reauthorization bill. About 40% of the monies that are spent on infrastructure come from the federal government. These are things we can work together on. Democrats and Republicans. Despite the fact that we’ve gone through the situations that we’ve gone through, I think there are a lot of opportunity for bipartisan work and get things done that are not glamorous but are the underpinning of the American economy."
Economy - "I’m glad the president emphasized the economy. We’ve got so much to be optimistic as we start into the new decade. We’ve got the strongest economy in Arkansas probably ever. Very very low unemployed, again probably the lowest ever. Americans from all backgrounds are feeling the economy punch and so these are all great things that really translate down to all Americans. That’s really what we’re striving for. At the end of the day it’s the economy. If you can’t support your family, if you don’t make a living wage everything else is unimportant and certainly the president did a good job of pointing that out."
Trade Deals - "The president talked a lot about his trade deals. USMCA and then also the agreement with China. This is so so very important for our country. Not only in just getting the deals done but putting some certainty so people know what the rules are. You can play with bad rules or good rules if you don’t know what the rules are it makes it very very difficult. So the fact that we got these good trade agreements in place they’re going to help the American worker. It’s so important for the state of Arkansas. 40% of the products that we produce are exported but it’s not just ag, it’s so many other things so as a result I think that he can be very very proud of these agreements and working in a very bipartisan way to come to an agreement and that’s a very very positive thing."
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U.S. Senator Tom Cotton released the following statement in response to President Trump’s State of the Union address:
“Tonight, the president outlined an agenda that will continue to build on the achievements of the last three years. I share his commitment to building a strong economy that helps American workers and a strong military that keeps us safe from threats like China and Iran. Our efforts implementing this ambitious agenda must begin now, especially protecting Americans from the Wuhan coronavirus and dangerous sanctuary city policies.”