Blackburn Responds to President Obama's State of the Union Address

Statement

Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) issued the following statement in response to President Obama's address to the nation on the State of the Union.

"President Obama's proposal to increase taxes is not a serious solution to the challenges facing our nation. The President's plan is misleading because it hurts many seniors who aren't wealthy, but depend on capital gains," Blackburn said. "President Obama has increased our debt by $7.6 trillion over 6 years. Last year the federal government collected a record amount of $3 trillion dollars in revenue. Now he wants even more money to expand his dysfunctional government. The American people are tired of it. I have not talked to one person who thinks that more money should be sent to DC for the bloated, over grown, overreaching federal government to waste.

"Let me tell you something -- we don't have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem. Sending more money to bureaucrats in Washington is not going to solve the underlying problems. We need to work on real solutions like my proposal to cut just one penny out of every dollar from discretionary spending. By cutting one percent in discretionary spending, we could save taxpayers an estimated $4 billion in just one year.

"The President also talks about his initiatives to protect personal data online and yet today we learned from the Associated Press that data firms may be tracking people as they use healthcare.gov. Depending on technology, they may be able to determine age, income, zip code, and whether you smoke or are pregnant. These findings raise new privacy and cyber security concerns. If President Obama can't protect data on healthcare.gov then why should we trust him to lead us on other cyber and privacy issues?"

Congressman Blackburn hosted retired Command Sergeant Major Sidney Brown as her guest for the State of the Union. Command Sgt. Maj. Brown served two tours in Vietnam and is a member of the Triple Nickel-555th Parachute Infantry Association. Following his retirement from the Army, Brown served as County Commissioner in Clarksville. He has lectured at Austin Peay State University regarding the history of the Buffalo Soldiers in the United States Army. Brown was also appointed by Governor Don Sundquist to serve on the Tennessee State Veterans Nursing Home Board and the Tennessee Coin Commission.

"Whether it was serving two tours in Vietnam or his work with local, state, and federal officials to get the VA Nursing Home in Montgomery County, Command Sgt. Maj. Brown has dedicated his life to our nation's military," said Blackburn. "We are so grateful for his service on behalf of the United States Army and the Clarksville Community. I am truly humbled to have him as my guest for tonight's State of the Union Address."

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