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SALT LAKE CITY — Members of Utah’s congressional delegation praised President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening, touting the strengthened economy and bipartisan efforts to improve the lives of Americans.
Sen. Mitt Romney, who attended the address with Utah Gov. Gary Herbert as his guest, said in a statement the nation’s strong economic growth has been similar to Utah’s “for the past few years,” pointing to the Beehive State’s “record low” unemployment rate under Herbert’s leadership.
“The president rightfully recognized that success and highlighted several policy areas in which both parties should work together,” Romney said, urging Congress and the president to address the country’s “runaway debt.”
In a live Facebook video following the address, Sen. Mike Lee lauded Trump’s approval rating as his highest ever, crediting “a significant blue collar boom.”
“It’s the very Americans who were most left behind under the Obama economy that are now succeeding under the Trump economy,” Lee said.
He went on to praise the president for rising wages and improved conditions for low-income workers, adding “President Trump knocked it out of the park in the State of the Union address tonight. ... I’m equally grateful for the job he’s doing in the White House.”
Rep. Chris Stewart said the state of the union “should inspire us all to work together to build on our successes and continue to improve Americans’ quality of life.”
“Our economy is the strongest it’s been in my lifetime — improving the lives of Americans of every background. The unemployment rate is at a 50-year low, with Utah’s unemployment rate reaching a record-breaking low. The president is committed to improving the lives of working families — including lowering the cost of health care, paid family leave, and expanding access to affordable child care,” Stewart said in his statement.
Rep. Ben McAdams, Utah’s only Democrat in Congress, said he’s learned from his time as a public servant “that you don’t have to agree on every issue in order to find common ground and achieve progress.”
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Standing before a Congress and nation sharply divided by impeachment, President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address Tuesday to extol a “Great American Comeback” on his watch, just three years after he took office decrying a land of “American carnage” under his predecessor.“With a strong economy and more Americans employed, now is the time for us to work together to get our fiscal house in order, strengthen Social Security and Medicare and invest in modernizing infrastructure,” McAdams said, adding that he’s “eager” to work on bipartisan legislation to lower prescription drug prices.
Rep. John Curtis expressed gratitude that, despite current “partisan times,” the economy remains strong and unemployment rates are low, including in Utah.
“Further, our future is optimistic thanks to bipartisan victories such as the passage of the (United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement),” Curtis said.
“I’m encouraged to hear the president prioritize bipartisan approaches to address our health care and infrastructure needs and I look forward to working with both the administration and my colleagues in Congress to deliver meaningful changes for Utah’s 3rd District,” he added.
Rep. Rob Bishop said in a statement: “We are in the midst of an incredible time in America’s history. By almost any metric, Americans today are faring better than they were before 2016. We are safer and we are stronger, and I commend President Trump and his administration for creating an environment in which Americans can succeed.”
Bishop echoed Trump’s statement during the address that “our best days are ahead of us.”
