Sen. Portman Issues Statement Ahead of Trump State of Union Address

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 -- The office of Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, issued the following statement ahead of President Trump's State of the Union address:

"The State of the Union is an opportunity to bring the country together, assess where we are, and look to the future. I'm looking forward to hearing the president's speech. I hope he uses this opportunity to focus on our shared goal of continuing to improve the economy for working families. Despite the partisanship in Washington, we've made real progress on the economy with pro-growth tax reforms and regulatory relief that has helped to create millions of new jobs, boost wages and investment, and strengthen retirement savings. Friday's jobs report was more evidence of this fact, with an impressive 304,000 jobs created in January and, after a decade or more of wage stagnation, real wage growth. In fact, over the last 12 months we've seen the strongest wage growth since the Great Recession a decade ago.

"Over the past two years, I have worked with the administration and my Senate colleagues from both parties to deliver results for Ohio on other issues as well. I have taken the lead in enacting common-sense solutions to combat the opioid crisis, including my STOP Act, and curbing online sex trafficking with my SESTA legislation. We enacted a major criminal justice reform package, which included my legislation to reauthorize the Second Chance Act to stop the revolving door of incarceration and help former inmates live up to their God-given potential. In all, 31 of my bills have become law in the past year. However, there is still much more work to be done.

"I hope the president outlines his plans to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, improve job training programs to fill the in-demand jobs of today, tackle unfair trade and inequities in our economic relationship with China, and address the high prices for prescription drugs in our country.

"The president should discuss his responsible plan to strengthen our security on the southern border, which is backed by government experts who tell us we need more barriers and fencing in certain locations, but also more border agents, more technology and drones, more humanitarian assistance, and better screening at ports of entry to help stop the flow of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and crystal meth being smuggled into our country.

"This is also an opportunity for us to join together to end government shutdowns once and for all, and I'm pleased there is growing momentum behind my End Government Shutdowns Act, which now has 33 cosponsors in the Senate.

"These are just a few of the important issues ahead of us. I will continue to do my part to deliver results for Ohio, and I stand ready to work with the president, his administration, and my colleagues in both parties on solutions that will make a difference for Ohioans and the American people."

NOTE: Yesterday, Portman announced that Tito Brown, the Mayor of Youngstown, would be his guest for the State of the Union. Recently, Portman worked with Mayor Brown and other community leaders to help secure a federal BUILD grant for the city to spur economic development and jobs. The project will improve multimodal access between key employers in the Mahoning Valley, including pedestrian and bicycle facilities, autonomous transit shuttles, transit waiting environments, and green infrastructure to help revitalize downtown Youngstown. Portman has also worked with Mayor Brown to help deal with GM's decision to stop making cars at the Lordstown plant outside of Youngstown.