Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02) issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union (SOTU) address:
“Sadly, President Obama has become a spectator to history when it comes to addressing our out-of-control spending and encouraging job creation. The time for talk has long passed; it’s time for him to lead or follow.
“I wish the President had offered a bold, real plan for balancing our budget – or pledged to work with us to get our spending under control.
“When the President talks about getting Americans back to work, it’s hard to take him seriously, one week after he killed thousands of new Keystone pipeline jobs. He needs to get real about job creation, and he can start by approving the pipeline, so hard working Arkansans – not Chinese – can benefit from these new jobs. Approval of the Keystone pipeline is the biggest no-brainer I have seen since being elected to Congress. The pipeline would provide a big dose of shovel-ready jobs and energy independence – now.
“Regardless, I will continue to fight for hard working Arkansas taxpayers who are tired of a president who throws money away on ineffective ‘stimulus programs,’ but won’t approve a massive private sector jobs project staring him in the face – a project supported by Democrats and Republicans alike.”
Two notable Arkansans also attended tonight’s presidential address. David Delie, president of Welspun Tubular, was Speaker John Boehner’s guest. Welspun, which operates a plant in Little Rock, announced shortly before Christmas that it was laying off 60 employees as a result of the President’s decision to delay the Keystone XL pipeline permitting process until after the election. Now the President has denied the permit altogether.
In addition, Judge Preston Scroggin of Faulkner County was Rep. Griffin’s guest for tonight’s State of the Union.
“I was honored to join Tim at this year’s State of the Union,” Scroggin said. “Tim’s been a great help to Faulkner County and every time I call, he’s always ready to assist.”
