Courtney Statement on President Biden’s State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, DC — Last night, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) attended President Biden’s State of the Union Address along with his guest, former Connecticut State Representative Joe de la Cruz. After the address concluded, Courtney made the following statement:

“When President Biden came into office, Main Streets were still shuttered, families across the country were facing uncertain futures, and our nation’s economy was balanced on a knife’s edge,” said Rep. Courtney. “Now, just two years later, that script has been flipped. As the President stated, 800,000 manufacturing jobs have been created in the last two years—the fastest growth in decades. Eastern Connecticut is part of that story, as my guest to the State of the Union, Joe de la Cruz of Groton, who runs a sheet metal factory that has doubled its book of business, can attest. With 200 million in new infrastructure funding for repairs of the Gold Star Bridge, these projects will add more construction jobs to the region. Now is the time to build on that progress, first by avoiding default on the full faith and credit of the United States, which would wreck the economy, and next by protecting Social Security and investing in education and job training that can connect millions of Americans to these new and growing job opportunities.”

“We’ve made great progress, but we’ve still got important work left ahead,” Courtney continued. “The new crackdown on fentanyl screening at the border that the President declared, as well as a new commitment to treatment and preventions, is a unifying agenda that my State of the Union guest and his wife can attest is so important to creating healthy communities. Achieving these goals and making America healthier, safer, and more competitive is going to take bipartisan work in Congress, and I’m ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help get it done.”

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