Some of North Carolina's congressional delegation responds to President Biden's State of the Union address

President Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday evening, with many members watching remotely due to the pandemic.

Biden called on the House and Senate to come together and help pass the American Families Plan. This proposal would among other things:

*   Provide universal access to high-quality, free pre-K for 3- and 4- year-olds;
*   Make two years of community college free for all Americans;
*   Extend the Child Tax Credit increases in the American Rescue Plan for another five years
*   Provide comprehensive paid family and medical leave; and
*   Expand nutrition assistance, school meal programs, and summer meal programs for children and families.

Democrats are praising the ideas outlined in the address, Republicans are lambasting the proposal. Here’s a rundown from some members of the NC delegation:

Congressman David Price (NC-04):

 “Chronic underinvestment in our nation’s children, families, students, and care infrastructure limits access to opportunity and threatens our global competitiveness.”

“The American Families Plan would provide additional economic security to our nation’s families through more affordable health care, and child care costs for working families. It would also bolster our nation’s education system, preparing the next generation for the modern workforce with free universal pre-school for three and four-year olds, tuition-free two-year community college, more generous Pell Grants, and targeted investments to recruit and retain a diverse teacher workforce. I strongly support the American Families Plan—it’s the long overdue lifeline that American families and students need to thrive.”

Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02):

 “The pandemic brought new, unexpected struggles and pain, and tonight President Biden spoke convincingly about the critical importance of safely getting people back to work and to school; delivering commonsense gun reform; lowering healthcare costs, particularly in light of the pandemic; and creating a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. I am especially pleased that the President used this address to highlight his plan to provide tuition-free community college, an issue I have championed and which forms part of the groundbreaking American Families Plan, a historic investment in education and childcare.”

Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12):

 “President Biden stood in front of two history-making women as he gave his address, showing how far we’ve come in spite of the COVID-19 crisis. The President laid out a plan for us to overcome that crisis, with historic investments in our country’s most important building blocks – our families. From child care to elder care, the Biden plan is a roadmap for our country to put the economic crisis caused by the pandemic behind us and put us on the path to long-term prosperity. Furthermore, President Biden addressed issues where I’ve been proud to be a leader, including affordable housing and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”

“Additionally, I want to congratulate my colleague, Senator Tim Scott, on his response to the address. While there are many issues where we disagree, debate makes our country stronger, and our recovery is going to take hard work from every American, regardless of their partisan affiliation.”

Congressman Patrick McHenry (NC-10):

“On Inauguration Day, President Biden committed to healing our nation’s divisions and bringing Americans together. Since then, we’ve seen his Administration and his Democrat colleagues in Congress endorse their party’s most far left policies and force through a trillion-dollar progressive wish list masked as COVID-aid. The huge tax increases and massive expansion of government programs—all framed as infrastructure—outlined tonight is more of the same.

“As more Americans are vaccinated each day, we should be embracing a return to normalcy and pursuing thoughtful policies that ensure the economic prosperity we experienced prior to this horrific virus comes back. Instead, President Biden and his allies are using razor thin Congressional majorities to fundamentally reshape the role the federal government plays in our lives. So much for healing and unity.”

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC-5)

“Enhanced border security, a continued economic comeback, schools safely reopening, targeted improvements to infrastructure, and a bolstered American workforce must be atop the President’s list of priorities. Now is the time to move the country forward with commonsense solutions that put America first. The American people deserve more than an Administration that produces more empty rhetoric than it does progress. But tonight, President Biden has signaled to the country that he does not intend to change course from his entirely partisan and radical agenda. This is not the way forward.”

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC):

 “I hope President Biden stops listening to his advisors, who have convinced him to pursue a far-left agenda, and instead start working with Republicans like myself who want to solve the many pressing challenges we face, from ending the humanitarian and security crisis at the Southern border to ensuring our nation fully recovers from the damage caused by the pandemic.”