Politicians across Florida were quick to react Tuesday night to President Barack Obamas State of the Union address with Republicans taking aim at the president and his administration and Democrats defending them.
Gov. Rick Scott issued a response that hinted at his own budgetary plans which will be unveiled on Feb. 7.
Tonight, we heard President Obama describe this moment in America as a Sputnik moment. But to face the challenges of our day, we dont need decades-old history lessons, we need leadership, said Scott. We need elected officials who will take on special interests, make tough choices and focus on the right priorities.
"We need fiscal conservatives who recognize the solution to every problem is not a new government program. We need to take less money out of the pockets of Americans, and we need to get government out of the way of those who create jobs. Innovation comes from creating an environment where Americans want to build new companies. Government seldom does a good job of selecting successful innovators."
Added Scott, In the next few weeks, I will unveil a budget for the state of Florida that reflects leadership and demonstrates the will to make tough choices. It will reduce the tax burden on Floridians and champion a less-burdensome government. Florida will be the place for innovators, not because the state of Florida knows which individuals will succeed, but because we are the place where innovators want to live, raise their families, and build their companies. ..."
Newly inaugurated Republican Sen. Marco Rubio offered his take, giving the president poor marks for his fiscal plans.
Tonight, I had hoped to hear the president outline real solutions to fundamentally tackle our national debt crisis and help clear the way for urgently needed job creation, said Rubio. Instead, we heard him talk about more investment, which is what most Floridians I know would simply call more government spending. Instead of fruitlessly turning to government to create jobs, we should be working to cut spending, promote free-enterprise initiatives and give job creators the certainty they need to hire more workers.
While I was encouraged by the presidents support for an earmark ban and will work with him toward that goal, his call for a mere budget freeze does not go far enough in tackling our record debt, added Rubio. At the very least, we should freeze nondefense and nonveterans' discretionary spending to what it was before Washington began its unprecedented, record-setting spending binge two years ago.But most importantly, we need to finally begin fundamentally reforming the way our government spends the American peoples money.
In 2011, both parties have a golden opportunity for true cooperation on complex issues of great consequence, noted Rubio. If we take care of business, our children and grandchildren will one day thank us for giving them the chance to inherit the greatest society in human history. For President Obama and congressional Democrats, its a chance to prove they heard the American peoples call for fiscal discipline in November.For Republicans, its a chance to practice what weve preached by being responsible stewards of the American peoples tax dollars. As Floridas senator, I will work with anyone else who believes 2011 has to be the year when we stop postponing the tough decisions.
Republican members of the Florida congressional delegation joined Rubio in hammering Obama on fiscal issues.
In a detailed speech, Americans heard the presidents blueprint for our nation. He says the right thing, but will he do the right thing and put citizens back to work, cut spending, and reduce the debt? asked U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw. For nearly two years, the jobless rate has hovered around 9 percent, and the national debt has exploded to nearly $14 trillion dollars. No more room exists for flawed tax-and-spend policy that would only push these numbers higher, raid the pocketbooks of Americans, and further damage our economy.
Since early January, I have joined my Republican colleagues in fulfilling our promise to help individuals, families, and businesses that have been hurting, added Crenshaw. We voted to cut committee, leadership, and member office budgets by 5 percent, saving taxpayers $35 million. We voted to repeal and replace the presidents health care law with common-sense reforms that can save taxpayers $2.6 trillion. And, we voted to eliminate $35 million in wasteful government printing practices by relying on available technology instead.
These are concrete steps that will help move the country to stable economic ground, continued Crenshaw. We cant continue to borrow and spend our way to prosperity. I know it, and the American people know it, too. Weve got to tighten our fiscal belt. I am eager to keep moving in a positive direction and am hoping the president and Democrats will join in this journey.
Newly inaugurated U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland joined his fellow Sunshine State Republicans in criticizing the president and his administration.
President Obama offered a tone tonight that departed sharply from his administrations actions over the past two years, noted Southerland. The presidents call for fiscal responsibility was, unfortunately, made necessary by his administrations quest to expand the size of government, increase spending, and hike the taxes of hard-working Americans. The president has asked us tonight to trust his words, but we must verify his actions over the coming year.
But while Republicans attacked Obama, Democrats from Florida rallied behind him.
One year ago, President Obama spoke of economic recovery, said U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings. The Democratic-led Congress heard this call and immediately went to work passing legislation to help Americans get back on their feet. Legislation that extended unemployment benefits for millions of Americans across the nation and in my home state of Florida, which has one of the highest rates of unemployment at 12 percent.Legislation that created and saved 320,000 jobs for teachers, police officers, and firefighters. Legislation to reform Wall Street to protect consumers.And, legislation to reform our nations health care system to ensure that access to affordable, quality health care is not simply a privilege for some, but a guaranteed right for all.Each and every one of these laws has helped Americans through difficult times and we are beginning to see the fruit of all of these efforts.
I welcome the presidents call for increasing our nations competitiveness, added Hastings. I agree with him that, in order to spur job creation and for our long-term recovery, it is critical that America remain competitive in the global market. To do this, we must also ensure that everyone has access to a quality and affordable education. Now is not the time to enact policies that hinder students options and access to post-secondary education.
Former Sen. Rod Smith, the newly elected chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, also praised Obama.
Over the past two years, President Obama has accomplished an incredible amount to get our country back on track, insisted Smith. He pulled our economy back from the brink of depression, restored economic growth, and is continuing to support job creation here in Florida and across the country.He enacted historic health reforms, guaranteeing that Floridas families and businesses are able to secure quality health coverage at a more affordable price.He strengthened Americas national security by bringing our countrys combat operations in Iraq to an end and focusing on combating terrorists wherever they live. He supported greater equality for American service members with the repeal of dont ask, dont tell, and for women with the enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.And he is supporting the creation of new opportunities for children across the Sunshine State by reforming student lending and focusing on supporting educational innovation.
Tonight, President Obama made it clear that he will continue to build upon these accomplishments over the next year, enabling more American families to achieve the American Dream and cementing a new foundation for American prosperity, added Smith. He laid out his priorities for the future -- to build our economy, create jobs and opportunity, and out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build our competitors. He outlined how we must deal with the debt and deficit in a responsible manner and reform our government for the 21st century. We need to advance Americas interests abroad while protecting people here at home. I think I can say without a doubt that all of us this evening were delighted to hear the presidents aims for the next year, and we are excited to join him in realizing his vision for a more perfect union.As we heard from President Obama in the vision he laid out tonight, America will win the future.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
