Alexander, Fleischmann release statements on State of the Union

In his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, President Barack Obama called for raising the minimum wage, doing more to fight global warming, and reducing the deficit through spending cuts and tax increases.

The president also called for voting on new gun laws, reforming Medicare and the tax code, and working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child.

But two Tennessee legislators said the president missed a “golden opportunity” and “offered no real plan to fix our soaring debt and get Americans back to work.”

“I’m disappointed because the president missed a golden opportunity to present a serious plan to deal with the most serious problem facing our country—how to preserve Medicare by reducing out-of-control entitlement spending,” said U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge, said Obama has already increased the tax burden on American families this year.

“Unfortunately, tonight we heard more soaring rhetoric from the President, but no real plan to fix our soaring debt and get Americans back to work,” Fleischmann said. “He spoke of a balanced plan and called for increasing taxes, again…It’s time to address the true problem and work for real spending reform.”