Rokita Responds to State of the Union

Statement

U.S. Representative Todd Rokita (IN-04) issued the following statement after the President's State of the Union address.

"As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, I understand the power of knowledge. I believe all Americans should have access to quality education, which empowers the individual -- not the government -- to build better lives for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, the President's plan for education directly hurts the middle class, taking away the benefits of 529 college savings plans to pay for "free community college." To adapt a quote from P. J. O'Rourke, if you think college is expensive now, just wait until it's free. We don't need more federal education programs. Instead we need to empower students, families, teachers, and our state and local officials."

The President also announced a series of tax changes intended to relieve the burden on the middle class, to which Rep. Rokita responded:

"I understand too many Americans are struggling to make ends meet. I agree with the President that the tax burden on the middle class is too large and that our tax code is too complex. However, I disagree that the solution is more tax hikes to fuel a federal government that is already too big, too inefficient, and too unaccountable. We have a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

"When President Obama took office six years ago, our national debt was $10.6 trillion. It's now $18.1 trillion. Instead of tackling this issue six years ago, the President ran up the tab and is now trying to escape the consequences of his tax-and-spend agenda. As Vice-Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I am committed to making the difficult choices to reform our tax code, cut federal spending, and secure the future for our children and grandchildren."

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