BOISE, Idaho — Idaho's congressional delegation offered up their thoughts on the State of the Union address, delivered by President Trump to Congress and the nation Tuesday night.
Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher released the following statements after the president's speech:
Sen. Mike Crapo
“In his third State of the Union address, President Trump delivered a strong and optimistic message that highlighted the many economic and national security successes his Administration and Congress have developed throughout this presidency. Significant progress has been made in the last three years to deliver commonsense approaches that address the needs of all Americans.
“President Trump addressed these present-day issues with optimism. But the President’s promises to the American people also include a long-term vision of success by working steadily to appoint a record number of judicial nominees to America’s courts--including two Supreme Court Justices, 50 Circuit Court judges and 133 district judges. The Senate has confirmed more judges in President Trump’s first full term than in any other president’s since 1980.
“I will continue to work with President Trump and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation that builds on the many successes of the last three years and develops an inclusive economy where people of every background can continue to find new opportunities.”
Note: The above is only part of Sen. Crapo's statement. You can watch the full statement in the video below.
Sen. Jim Risch
Note: Sen. Risch's statement comes from a live interview he gave to NBC News after the speech.
"I've done public service my entire adult life, and I've sat through hundreds of speeches. This was as good as it gets. I would really hope that every American would take an hour out of their day and listen to this president talk about the greatness of this country, where we've been, both in history and recently and the potential of where we're going. This was a classic speech, an instant classic, and I hope every American will take time to watch it.
Question: What did you like best [about the speech?]
"It's hard to say, there were so many good parts of it. It was a classic in that he, first of all, took a victory lap for the incredible job he's done with the economy. We haven't seen a year like this for well over half a century in every measurable economic respect.
"[He] had some surprises in there with the returning serviceman. Seeing Juan Guiado here from Venezuela was absolutely stunning. To see him in the audience tonight, it really was an all-time classic speech."
Rep. Russ Fulcher
Note: Sen. Risch's statement comes from a live interview he gave to NBC News after the speech.
"If you're a red-blooded American, then you had to love that speech tonight. It was positive, it was upbeat. Of course, the president had to talk about his accomplishments, and they're good. He also pumped up the nation, he talked about where we're moving forward, he talked about health care, immigration reform and those types of things which is important to everyone. And [he] stood up for the conservative causes, which so many of us champion: Life and
Second Amendment and religious freedom. And so I thought he did a fabulous job, and I was just proud of him tonight. He was talking like a president, not like a campaign person.
"I was also very pleased that he didn't bring up the whole impeachment issue. That didn't get brought up at all. I thought that was classy. I thought that was appropriate and that's what I was hoping would happen."
Rep. Mike Simpson
“The President covered a lot of ground tonight, largely discussing the robust economy we all enjoy. This stimulated economy wasn’t by accident, it came from implementing tax reform, trade policies, and by reducing onerous federal regulations. President Trump worked tirelessly to ensure USMCA was signed into law and under this new and improved trade deal, U.S. agricultural exports alone are expected to increase by more than $2 billion annually, further helping our economy. President Trump has been a leader on these economic drivers, and I applaud his Administration for their efforts.
“In Idaho, we have a record low unemployment rate of 2.7 percent and our strong economy is benefiting greatly by reducing overreaching federal regulations. Less than two weeks ago, I joined many of my colleagues and the Administration announcing the new rule concerning the Waters of the United States. For almost a decade I’ve heard concerns from farmers, ranchers, small businesses, governors, and many others about the extremely broad definition of ‘waters of the United States’ under the Clean Water Act. This Administration took note of those concerns and rewrote the rule in a way that maintains critical protections under the Clean Water Act, while also appropriately delegating state and local jurisdictions in charge of regulating smaller bodies of water, as the law was intended.
“Once again President Trump laid out several bipartisan goals; addressing our countries infrastructure needs, educational needs by offering vocational and technical education in high school, lowering the costs of prescription drugs, and covering pre-existing conditions.
“Despite being the target of impeachment talk since the very beginning of his term, he has seated two accomplished U.S. Supreme Court Justices, secured a bipartisan budget deal, enacted historic tax cuts and reforms, negotiated a better deal for the United States with the USMCA, reduced illegal border crossings, and rebuilt our military, not to mention the benefits of a consistently strong and growing economy—something ALL Americans currently enjoy. I hope tomorrow marks the end of partisan fights and the beginning of bipartisan governing so we can continue the strong positive momentum in our great nation.”
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