Wednesday, January 25, 2012
By Elise Franco
Youngstown
Many local lawmakers showed strong support for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address.
State Rep. Robert Hagan of Youngstown, D-60th, said Obama’s third annual address to the nation was on target.
“The president was pointed on his challenge to the Congress to do something to help move this country forward,” he said. “He was great on the issue of energy, making sure we explore safely.”
Hagan also said he was pleased with the president’s discussion on manufacturing and bringing outsourced jobs back to the U.S.
“He took on the responsibility that is owed to America by businesses that should bring jobs back to America,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire of McCandless, Pa., D-4th, also was pleased with Obama’s focus on working Americans, saying he outlined a clear path to “restore our economy.”
Most importantly, he said, the president’s “continued commitment to hold Wall Street accountable for its actions is a reassurance to the millions of American families who have been hit hardest by the recession. President Obama was right to remind Americans of the importance the Wall Street reforms passed by Congress have had in stabilizing the financial markets and improving our overall economic outlook.”
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., wasn’t quite as impressed, however, calling the speech “business as usual.”