On bipartisanship, border security, drug costs: what did Pennsylvania’s lawmakers think of President Trump’s State of the Union address?

Morning Call (Allentown, PA)

Feb. 06--President Donald Trump gave his State of the Union address Tuesday night, calling on Congress to reform the country's immigration system and pledging to build a border wall.

Highlighting crimes committed by illegal aliens and celebrating the work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Trump implored political leaders to "defend our very dangerous southern border out of love and devotion to our fellow citizens."

"I will get it built," he said of the border wall.

Trump's message also called on Congress to improve infrastructure and reduce the price of health care. He condemned partisan politics, specifically "ridiculous partisan investigations," which he said threaten to derail the "economic miracle" taking place in the U.S.

Here's what Pennsylvania's congressional lawmakers had to say during and after the speech:

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.:

"There was a big victory lap on the economy, and I think that was entirely appropriate and made sense. The president made his case for funding for border security at some length. ... The most contentious issue right now that is holding us up is obviously the funding of the government. On that, after making a very forceful case, if you listen closely, what he said at the conclusion was, we need to work together and compromise. That is what I have been saying all along. There's an obvious solution here. Nobody gets everything they want. Nobody gets nothing they want. This isn't rocket science. The president wants $5.7 billion for border security. Nancy Pelosi wants zero. We settle somewhere in between."

"On trade, I think, he's all wrong. I really disagree with the thrust of his comments and much of his policy. Having said that, the one thing that the president has been right to underscore in this space has been the really egregious behavior on the part of the Chinese government dictating to Chinese industry to systematically steal American intellectual property. That is not acceptable. We have to fight that very aggressively. I credit the president for that. I disagree with much of the rest of what he had to say about trade."

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.:

"The President should have pledged tonight 'no more shutdowns' and committed to taking additional steps to help the 820,000 federal employees recover from the adverse impact of his government shutdown. He also missed an opportunity to speak to America's middle class families who are struggling to make ends meet. He could have committed to a substantial tax cut for those families. He could have talked to working parents about a comprehensive agenda for their children -- investing in education, safeguarding their healthcare, rebuilding their schools and protecting them from violence. Unfortunately, he used his platform tonight to reinforce the same talking points and to double down on his corporate agenda."

Rep. Susan Wild, D-7th District (Lehigh Valley):

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st (Bucks):

"The State of the Union has historically presented a tone of optimism and bipartisanship. I am glad the President continued this tradition and conveyed a message of American prosperity and security. It is my hope that Republicans and Democrats will work together to combat the pressing issues facing our nation, as there is more that unites us than divides us. As was articulated tonight, it is time to put aside the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution for the wellbeing of our great nation."

Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-2nd (Philadelphia):

Rep. Dwight Evans, D-3rd (Philadelphia):

Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th (Montgomery):

"The State of the Union is both a Constitutionally-mandated obligation and an extraordinary opportunity for the President to speak openly and honestly with the country. Unfortunately -- but unsurprisingly -- he failed to rise to the occasion, choosing instead to further divide our nation with falsehoods.

"While the President adopted an uncharacteristically bipartisan tone, his goals -- and his behavior -- prove the disingenuousness of his words. And what was most striking was what we didn't hear -- a desire to promote education, protect the environment, defend the dignity of labor, combat gun violence, and end the inhumane practice of separating families at the border.

"The President prefers to distract us from the genuine challenges facing our country -- and the genuine solutions that are within our grasp. Democrats have a different vision. We're working hard to provide health care access for everyone, protect our communities from the scourge of gun violence, and ensure that all Americans have a meaningful say in our elections. Stacey Abrams said it beautifully: 'our joint commitments to the ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable.'

"The State of our Union is strong, but not because of this Administration -- because of the power of our unity. That unity was on display tonight, as we saw the most diverse Congress ever -- including the largest number of female representatives in our nation's history. And we are strong because of people like my guest tonight, Jami Amo -- a Columbine survivor and courageous gun safety activist. Her spirit and commitment are making America a more decent, compassionate place every day."

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-5th (Delaware):

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-6th (Chester):

"I appreciate the President's call for unity and hope that he is willing to work with Congress," said Houlahan. "I hope that we can come together in bipartisan manner to increase access to affordable and quality healthcare, bring good paying jobs with good benefits to our community, improve infrastructure and our education system, pass common sense gun safety measures, and reform our broken immigration system."

"We must come together, with the Executive and Legislative branches working collaboratively, to pass legislation that will help American families get ahead. This is how our government and our elected officials are supposed to do the work of the people.

"I am a third generation military veteran. I believe we must protect all of our borders -- land, air, and sea -- and we must protect our values. I support smart, effective and efficient border security measures. I do not believe a monolithic continuous border wall is either efficient or effective.

"I also believe that we cannot let our government be shutdown again as a negotiating tactic over any policy difference, regardless of the Administration. To that end, I was concerned that the President did not appear to rule out another government shutdown.

Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8th (Monroe Co./northeastern PA):

Rep. Scott Perry, R-10th (Dauphin/York):

Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-11th (Lancaster):

Rep. John Joyce, R-13th (Blair):

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-14th (southwestern PA):

Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-15th (Venango/north-central PA):

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th (Erie/northwestern PA):

"Tonight, President Trump once again affirmed his commitment to choosing greatness for our country. During his first two years in office, we have experienced unprecedented economic growth, and the quality of life for Americans has significantly improved. We now turn to the next chapter to build on those successes. The president outlined a bipartisan policy agenda and asked us to work together. This speech was an urgent call to action.

"I look forward to working with my colleagues and the president to fix the crisis on our southern border, protect American workers in trade deals, rebuild our nation's dated infrastructure, lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, and enhance U.S. national security."

Rep. Mike Doyle, D-18th (Pittsburgh):

[email protected]

202-780-9540

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