On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, President Joseph Biden delivered his State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) issued the following statement in response:
“President Biden said he would build an economy for working families in America. Over the last 25 months, the President, working with bipartisan members of Congress, has delivered. The largest infrastructure law in U.S. history, the American Rescue Plan, the Chips and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act – done. All contributing to the fastest manufacturing rebound in 40 years and the lowest unemployment rate in over 50 years while reducing the deficit by $1.7 trillion. In tonight’s State of the Union Address, the President spoke about plans to build on this progress.
“As individuals we have nothing without our health. The State of the Union recognizes this with a major emphasis on health and mental health. Under this President, cancer is no longer an accepted fate for Americans but an adversary worthy of defeat driven through reauthorization of the National Cancer Act. This puts regions like ours, home to nationally recognized Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, on the frontlines of this fight. This community is no stranger to struggles, and it takes a toll on mental health, especially among our youth, veterans, and emergency workers. The President’s advocacy for mental health parity; implementation of medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, which I supported through my own legislation; and plans to expand on the success of veteran treatment courts, the first of which started in Buffalo, builds a better support system for struggling families.
“Our schools, supermarkets, and neighborhoods need to be places where people feel safe. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act took significant step in the right direction. President Biden’s ideas to build on that progress by supporting successful community violence intervention programs, like the Peacemakers organization we have here in Buffalo and Niagara Falls; to hire, support and adequately train police; and to pass an assault weapons ban, all have bipartisan support and should be implemented to improve public safety.
“From the hospitals to the factories and the classrooms to the construction sites, it is the American worker that keeps this country moving forward. America thrives when working families thrive. I support the President’s proposal to expand the Child Tax Credit, which during the pandemic benefited 91% of families in my district and 400,000 children across Western New York. Advancing efforts related to affordable childcare, making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share, cutting prescription drug costs, and safeguarding hard-earned Social Security are important to American families and must be prioritized by Congress.
“Most of America’s challenges are not partisan. The people of Western New York and across America simply want the opportunity to make a good living and raise their families in a safe and healthy environment. Progress has been made but our job’s not done.”
