Today, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) released the following statement in response to President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address.
Tonight, the President outlined his commitment to reinvigorating America's middle class. While it's now clear that the Recovery Act halted the economies slide into depression, the focus must now shift from stabilization to growth. In his address to the nation, the President outlined a plan to improve our economy for middle-class Americans, to make it easier for students to pay off their loans, to help families with soaring child care and elderly care costs, and to give all workers more tools to save for their retirements. I hope his plan works. As the President said in his speech, "We are strained but hopeful, struggling but encouraged." The America people's capacity for hope and perseverance has never seized to amaze me. Times are tough, but we are tougher.