Buckeye Reporter

Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) released the following statement following tonight’s State of the Union address by President Joe Biden:

“I was pleased to hear President Biden’s call for national and world unity in support of our ally Ukraine as it faces a brutal assault from Russia. While the administration has now implemented the sanctions some of us called them to implement before the invasion occurred, I urge them to do even more on sanctions and use all of the tools at their disposal to hold President Putin accountable. Most importantly, they must eliminate all bureaucratic hurdles and speed the assistance of lethal weaponry to Ukraine immediately.

“On the domestic front, the country faces its worst inflation rate in 40 years, due in large part to the administration’s $1.9 trillion stimulus spending bill last year that has caused prices to skyrocket on everything from groceries to gas. This inflation crisis is hurting working families, overwhelming wage gains, and undermining our economy. I was pleased that President Biden highlighted Intel’s investment in a new semiconductor plant in Ohio, and I was proud to play a role in securing that investment in our state. However, the best path for the administration to strengthen our economy and address the high prices the American people face every day is to work with Republicans on common-sense economic policies that grow our economy.

“Republicans and Democrats came together on the bipartisan, counter-inflationary infrastructure law that will benefit our country and our economy for decades to come. We should use this as a model for future cooperation. Instead, Democrats continue to push for reckless tax and spending hikes, which would make this inflation crisis worse. I believe we can work together to boost American competitiveness and reduce government spending that is contributing to an overheated economy while increasing our domestic energy production and increasing wages. There are Republicans and Democrats who want to move the country forward in a constructive bipartisan manner on policies like these and I encourage the White House to choose this path.”