CHARLESTON, W.Va. — President Barack Obama’s legislative agenda detailed in Tuesday night’s State of the Union Address will need Republican support to become law.
But some members of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation, which is now mostly Republican, are wary.
The president called for “better politics” in Washington, D.C., while promising to veto any efforts to rollback Wall Street reforms, his healthcare law or immigration changes made up to this point.
“Quite frankly, I was a little frustrated and offended when he lectured us all about unity, about working together, but yet then he offers nothing but divisive policies that are going to divide this nation, not pull us back together again,” said 1st District Congressman David McKinley (R-W.Va.).
“President Obama focused on what divides us, not what unites us,” said 3rd District Congressman Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.). “What unites us is a desire to build a better country for our children and grandchildren, to work together to solve the problems our nation faces.”
Obama’s proposals included expanding paid sick leave, reforming the tax code to create additional benefits for the middle class, raising the minimum wage, making two years of community college free for students who qualify, investing more in infrastructure, authorizing force against ISIS, closing Guantanamo Bay and ending the embargo against Cuba.
Charlie Lorensen, chief of staff for the Tomblin Administration, said he saw stark contrasts between Tuesday’s State of the Union Address from Obama and last week’s State of the State Address from Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin—even though both are Democrats.
“We’re not going to promise the world. We’re not going to impose additional burdens on employers. We’re not going to burden the economy with our wishlist of things that would be wonderful to have and give away free stuff and act like it comes from nowhere,” Lorensen said.
On Tuesday, Tomblin announced better-than-expected investment returns for West Virginia—numbers he said will reduce the amount he proposed taking from the Rainy Day Fund to balance next year’s state budget.
“Folks expect their government to be self-responsible in what it does,” Lorensen said. “If promises are made, they’re kept and that’s just, sort of, the West Virginia way. We don’t go out and make flowery promises that nobody would ever expect are going to come true.”
McKinley told MetroNews “Talkline” on Wednesday that billions in new spending is not what the U.S. needs right now.
“We now have the greatest revenue in the history of this nation. We’ve collected more money, but then why isn’t our economy booming? It’s because we spend too much,” McKinley said.