Quigley Statement on State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the House Appropriations and Intelligence Committees, released the following statement in response to President Obama's State of the Union address:

"President Obama's final State of the Union address was a strong call to action, not just in his final year as president, but in the years to come. He has challenged Congress and Americans around the nation to be an agent of positive change in their households, schools and communities. In a toxic political climate, President Obama called us to appeal to the better angels of our nature.

"We must not forget where we were just seven years ago during President Obama's first State of the Union address. Our troops were fighting two massive ground wars in the Middle East. We were in the depths of the Great Recession with 15 million people unemployed. Individuals with pre-existing conditions were denied health insurance. We were importing 57 percent of the oil our nation consumed. And two people of the same-sex who loved each other were not allowed to marry. Now, we have brought home the majority of our brave men and women from the front lines. We have created more than 14.1 million new private sector jobs in 70 months – the longest uninterrupted stretch of private sector job growth in our history. No one can be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. Our dependence on foreign oil is at a 40-year low. And marriage equality is the law of the land. That is a tremendous amount of progress that the president should be extremely proud of.

"As the president mentioned, there are many issues that we will need to conquer together in the years to come: big things that will guarantee an even stronger and more prosperous America for our kids and grandkids. From climate change and gun violence, to national security and transportation infrastructure, the actions we choose or don't choose will greatly affect the lives of future generations. It is my hope that my colleagues, constituents and citizens around the world heard the president's call to action this evening and we can move the political debate forward for the betterment of Americans to come."

As his State of the Union guest, Rep. Quigley hosted Alaa Basatneh, a young Syrian American woman from Des Plaines, Illinois who has played a crucial role in the Syrian Revolution from her bedroom in suburban Chicago. By using social media, she has helped organize protests across Syria and expose the atrocities being committed by President Assad's regime.

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