Rep. Huffman Reacts to State of the Union

January 13, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) released the following statement after attending President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address on Tuesday night:

“Tonight President Obama reminded Americans of the bigger picture that is often forgotten or obscured in our contentious political debates: where we are in the arc of history and how far we’ve come; the obvious strength of our economy, our military, and our standing in the world; the importance of diversity and tolerance to our national character; and the incredible, transformational breakthroughs that are within our reach if we keep striving, innovating, and working together. 

“The President has accomplished far more than he is given credit for, and I was glad that tonight he finally took some credit for pulling our economy out of the Great Recession and generating the longest period of sustained private sector job growth we’ve ever seen; saving the American automobile industry which is now thriving; passing Dodd-Frank Wall Street reforms to help prevent another global financial meltdown; improving our broken health care system by making access to quality care available to millions of Americans despite pre-existing conditions, while reducing runaway healthcare costs; jump-starting a clean energy transformation so that we are now adding more electricity and jobs from renewable sources than from fossil fuels; and leading the nations of the world to a historic landmark deal on climate change last month in Paris. He has accomplished all of this and more, despite relentless and often vicious partisan opposition every step of the way.

“I don’t agree with President Obama on every issue, but I admire the way he has put his heart and soul into serving our country the past seven years, and I’m grateful that we’ve taken so many important leaps forward under his leadership. It was an honor to be in the House chamber for this speech tonight.

“Finally, I was honored to have as my guest in the gallery tonight Ali Rezaian, brother of Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post Journalist wrongfully detained in Iran. Through his presence tonight, and his tireless work to make the world aware of the outrageous injustice that has kept Jason in an Iranian prison for the past eighteen months, Ali is building support that will hopefully result in his brother’s release in the very near future. While the President did not discuss Jason’s wrongful imprisonment in tonight’s speech, the administration has assured me and Jason’s family that they are working harder than ever to secure the release of Jason and other wrongfully imprisoned Americans in Iran. I am optimistic that Jason’s freedom can be secured in the weeks ahead, and my hope is that next year Jason himself will be my guest at the State of the Union Address.”

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