Swalwell reacts to the State of the Union address
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (CA-15) today released the following statement after President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress:
“As President Obama said in his final State of the Union address, we have made significant progress in the past seven years – bringing our economy back from the brink, expanding health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, and taking steps to ensure all Americans are treated equally under the law.
“Yet, there is still more to do. The President talked tonight about making college affordable. I will continue to highlight the challenges facing millennials through my work as Chair of the Future Forum, a group of the youngest Democratic Members of Congress. It’s imperative we take actions to reduce the burden of student loans on young people and their families, such as allowing student loan borrowers to refinance at lower interest rates.
“There is nothing more important than the safety of the American people, and the President detailed our many national security challenges tonight. As a member of the Intelligence Committee, I am closely monitoring ISIS and threats to our homeland. I agree with President Obama that we must learn lessons from the mistaken war in Iraq, and that the solution is not boots on the ground but rather a stronger international coalition to ultimately defeat ISIS.
“Lastly, I am pleased President Obama took executive actions to address gun violence, but Congress must live up to its responsibility and pass commonsense measures to make sure the most dangerous weapons don’t get into the hands of the most dangerous individuals.
“In that spirit, I was honored to bring Fremont Chief of Police Richard Lucero as my guest to the address. Chief Lucero understands America’s gun violence epidemic and, like me, believes we must do more to protect the innocent in our communities. It’s time to end the moments of silence on the House Floor for victims of gun violence and finally take moments of action.”
Congressman Swalwell with his State of the Union guest, Fremont Chief of Police Richard Lucero
###