Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address. As part of a Congressional effort for a renewed sense of bipartisanship, Schwartz sat with Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA), who represents the neighboring district in suburban Philadelphia. Typically, Democrats and Republicans sit on separate sides of the House during State of the Union addresses.

“Tonight, President Obama addressed the most important challenges facing our nation and his vision for economic growth for the future. Security and prosperity for America depends on our determination as a nation to work together to expand economic opportunity for our businesses and our workers. The President spoke forcefully about the importance of investments in education, infrastructure and innovation to ensure our future competitiveness.

“Building on the important efforts of the last two years, which have resulted in the beginning of economic turnaround—greater productivity, one million new jobs and private sector capital available for investment—the President set out clear, ambitious goals for action this year to promote future economic growth across America.

“The President also called on Congress to work to address the country’s unsustainable national debt. The debt, which has increased dramatically over the last decade, can only be addressed if we demand fiscal discipline in both spending and tax policy, while we continue to grow the economy.

“As a senior member of the Budget Committee, I will work with the President and my colleagues in Congress to both expand economic opportunity and address our nation’s fiscal challenges. I will work to build the foundation essential for future prosperity and security for America’s families and businesses. We should seize this moment to work together to ensure America’s greatness.”

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