In the News

Area federal lawmakers from Indiana and Kentucky, all of whom are Republicans, lauded President Donald Trump’s State of the Union message, delivered Tuesday night at the U.S. Capitol.

Rep. Larry Bucshon, of Indiana’s 8th District, posted a video and several tweets praising Trump’s performance on the economy and his call for action on immigration reform, infrastructure needs and health care reform.

“President Trump reflected on successes of the past year and laid out his bold vision to move the nation forward,” Bucshon said.

Bucshon echoed Trump’s statements that “we must come together as a nation and close the divides in our society.”

Bucshon's Twitter feed also took aim at newly elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Sen. Todd Young of Indiana said in a video: “I was glad the president delivered a powerful, unifying message about the importance of us rallying together as a country around a number of major issues.”

Young said "immigration reform, national security, infrastructure investment and protecting American workers" are issues that "need to be priorities moving forward, and I hope we can come together for a common good to make them happen."

Sen. Mike Braun of Jasper, Indiana, elected in January, said in a tweet he was “honored to hear (Trump’s) vision to keep the state of our union stronger than ever.”

Rep. James Comer, of Kentucky's 1st District, said in a statement released by his office: 

“This is one of the best speeches I’ve heard the President give. He focused attention on what binds us together as a nation — our country's rich history, shared values and accomplishments. He laid out an array of positive achievements we should all be proud of — excellent job growth, record low rates of unemployment, lowered costs of prescription drugs and the crackdown on dangerous, illicit drugs at our border. The facts reflect that the state of our union is strong, and we have many opportunities ahead of us to work together on what's best for the American people."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, in a series of tweets, hailed what he called “big achievements” of Trump’s first two years in office, such as tax reform, regulatory reform and “landmark legislation to combat the opioid epidemic.”

McConnell called for Democrats, who in January took over the House majority, to “put the public interest ahead of political spite” and “negotiate necessary compromises.”

McConnell has been on the opposite side of Trump in recent days on the president’s call to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan.

But Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, in his reaction to Trump’s speech, praised the president’s approach on that subject.

John Martin
Courier & Press