February 13, 2015
Above: Arianna Goodwin and Mark Pocan
Pocan Statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan’s (WI-02) released the following statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address. Pocan’s guest for the speech was Arianna Goodwin, a constituent from Madison, WI, who has worked numerous minimum wage jobs to support her two young children and is a participant in the Operation Fresh Start program.
“The American people cannot wait any longer for a gridlocked Congress to take action. It is time to move our country forward, but we can only make progress if we work together to increase opportunities for every single American.”
“I applaud President Obama’s bold agenda to address the growing problem of income inequality in America,” said Rep. Mark Pocan. “As our economy continues to improve and recover from the great recession, too many working Americans are still struggling just to make ends meet. The President’s agenda will help raise wages and build an economy that works for every American, not just the wealthy and privileged few.
Pocan wholeheartedly supports the president’s efforts to make a college education an aspiration within every American’s reach.
“The President laid out important initiatives to help hardworking Wisconsinites, like Arianna Goodwin, improve their lives through education tax credits and more affordable access to community colleges,” Rep. Pocan continued.
As sustainable, high-paying careers become less common, Pocan supports Obama’s plan to create jobs by initiating the building of modern modes of transportation.
“I am especially pleased President Obama pushed for critical infrastructure investments. These investments will provide good jobs for hard-working Americans and ensure our country has a 21st century transportation system to compete in the global marketplace.
Pocan also backs President Obama’s plan to close the income inequality gap by raising fees on the largest financial institutions and restoring tax fairness by reinstating the Reagan era by increasing certain tax rates for the highly wealthy in order to help the middle class. In addition, he finds that putting efforts into improving education would help to raise the middle class as well.
However, Pocan expressed disappointment with Obama’s foreign trade policies.
“I support fair trade, but I cannot support more bad trade deals that will hurt our American jobs and American industries. I hope President Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Froman are open to the concerns my colleagues and I have expressed about the consequences of fast-track legislation and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations.”
The representative put it on Congress to push Obama’s plans forward – and quickly – during the president’s final two years in Washington.
“The American people cannot wait any longer for a gridlocked Congress to take action. It is time to move our country forward, but we can only make progress if we work together to increase opportunities for every single American."
