Lawmakers React to the State of the Union Address and the Impact in Connecticut

Connecticut’s representatives in Congress are weighing in on President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.

Some of them attended that speech on Capitol Hill Tuesday night, and are now weighing in on how the policies the president discussed will impact our state.

“The direction we now take is going to decide the course of this nation for decades to come,” Biden said during his address.

As the president laid out his plans for the country, lawmakers from Connecticut are also focusing on the direction of the state going forward.

“The state of our union is strong and getting stronger, in part because we did a lot of big bipartisan bills here in Congress in the last two years,” Sen. Chris Murphy said.

Murphy points to gun safety legislation, the Safer Communities Act, driven by Connecticut’s senators, as well as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as examples of bipartisan collaboration.

“We passed the biggest infrastructure bill in the history of the country, we passed the first gun safety bill in 30 years, we've done a lot of accomplishment that's making people's lives better all across the country,” Murphy said.

Connecticut’s Democratic representatives in Congress share the president’s thoughts on low unemployment, slowing inflation and a resilient economy, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

“We can continue to conquer inflation, put people back to work, and maintain economic growth,” Blumenthal said in a video statement on the State of the Union.

Representative Jim Himes says Biden focused on the “kitchen table” topics that really matter to Americans.

“You talk a lot about drug prices, and I'll tell you, I don't do a single town hall meeting where people don't talk about drug prices,” Himes, (D-4th District), said. “The president, I think, used those words last night that inflation is coming down, fuel prices are coming down, food prices are coming down. At the end of the day, speaking of issues that people really care about.”

However, the chief deputy Senate Republican leader for the state has a different take.

“I found that it was disconnected from what I'm seeing in my constituents on the street everyday here in the state of Connecticut,” Sen. Heather Somers, (R-18th District), said. “Inflation is on everyone's mind, whether it's the price of groceries, or when they go to the gas pump to fill up their gas tank in their car. So I didn't get the feeling that he really recognized the hurt that people are experiencing.”

Somers also referenced a tense moment between the president and some congressional Republicans.

“Some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset, I'm not saying it's a majority,” Biden said.

Many members of the audience protested at the comment.

“The idea that Republicans want to get rid of Medicare and Social Security, outrageous, disingenuous, and just a bold-faced lie,” Somers said. “That is absolutely not what Republicans want to do, across the nation, and here in the state of Connecticut.”

Somers agrees with the state’s Democratic reps in U.S. Congress, saying the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will have a huge impact in Connecticut.

“Once in a generation infrastructure law, building bridges connecting our nation and our people,” Biden said during his address.

Somers also sees the need to push for funding for our state, something both Himes and Murphy say is the next step in furthering the work done under the Biden administration.

“A lot of our work is implementing the laws that we passed in the last two years,” Murphy said. “So the infrastructure bill, we want more of that money to come to Connecticut. The gun violence bill, we want those funds for schools, safety and mental health come into Connecticut. We're a small delegation, but we fight really hard to prioritize money for Connecticut, and that'll be what we'll continue to do.”