Rep. Eric Swalwell Reacts to State of the Union

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) watched his first State of the Union address as a congressman Tuesday night.

The newly elected representative for the 15th congressional district shared his thoughts about President Barack Obama's speech and his views about the issues facing his constituents and the country.

This is what Swalwell said in a press release:

Tonight President Obama presented a vision for America that will move our economy forward and help create jobs. Our economy is on the right track, but more must be done to put us on a sustainable path forward. I will join the President to fight for policies that will strengthen our middle class and pursue balanced deficit reduction measures. The burden of deficit reduction should not be shouldered by the middle class and seniors.

I am proud that in the Bay Area we are an innovation center leading the world in technological achievements, and I commend the President for recognizing the high-growth opportunities in the clean energy sector. As the Ranking Member of the Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Energy with two national laboratories in my district, I believe federal investments in clean energy are smart for our economy and our environment, enabling us to create jobs and address the threat of climate change.

Growing our economy also includes fixing our broken immigration system. We need to allow high-skilled workers educated at American universities an opportunity to stay and help build our economy and create jobs. We also need to create a pathway to citizenship for workers already part of our communities.

Tragically, we have too often had to mourn the victims of mass shootings and as a prosecutor I often saw impact of gun violence on our communities. As the President stated, the time is now to take common-sense measures to reduce gun violence including closing background check loopholes. I am working with my colleagues in the House to ban access to military-style assault rifles, which already exists under California law.

We have big challenges facing our country, but I have never underestimated our ability to do big things. I am hopeful that Congress will come together to move our economy forward.