WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) tonight released the following statement on President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address:

“Tonight, President Biden delivered a strong State of the Union address.  He highlighted key gains and achievements; reminded us of the many challenges ahead; offered balanced solutions to move our nation forward; and spurred Congress to take bipartisan action.

“America has made tremendous progress under President Biden’s steadfast, unifying leadership.  And he challenged us to embrace what more is possible if we work together.

“Tonight’s speech offered a strategic blueprint to strengthen our economy, cut costs for working families, make our communities safer and more just, and expand opportunity for all. 

“The President recognizes that inflationary forces are straining people’s hard-earned paychecks and he outlined commonsense initiatives to lower everyday costs for things like childcare, energy, food, higher education, and prescription drugs, while putting more money in people’s pockets.  Congress must do its part to effectively bring prices down, especially for life-saving drugs like insulin. Democrats successfully capped insulin prices at $35 per month for people on Medicare, and tonight the president offered a prescription to expand that protection and savings to all Americans in need.

“By prioritizing job creation and putting workers, families, and Main Street businesses first, President Biden has overseen the creation of a record 12.1 million jobs in the past two years and reduced unemployment to its lowest level since 1969.  His policies helped spark a manufacturing boom, and the CHIPS-plus law he signed invests $280 billion to build on that progress.  It invests in the future of American national security and innovation by making more high-tech computer chips here in the United States.  The global competition for technological supremacy between the U.S. and China will continue and the U.S. cannot afford to lose.  We must continue to invest wisely.

“To drive our economy forward, President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making our roads and bridges safer and modernizing our transportation network and mass-transit systems.  This new law is helping Rhode Island and communities across the country replace aging infrastructure and transition to cleaner renewable energy, which is good for the planet and our energy independence. 

“Under President Biden, fewer Americans are uninsured than ever before.  And the newly signed Inflation Reduction Act will lower the cost of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to use its purchasing power to negotiate with manufacturers for better prices for consumers. 

“President Biden also signed landmark laws to expand health benefits for veterans, crack down on gun trafficking, and help save lives.

“From a national security standpoint, our nation is stronger and more secure today than we were under the previous administration, in part due to President Biden’s efforts to strengthen U.S. military and diplomatic alliances.  He is wisely using diplomatic, economic, and security levers to stymie Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and counter our adversaries.

“President Biden pointed out that we are stronger when we are united and working together is the surest way to achieve lasting, meaningful progress.”