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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement regarding President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address:

“President Biden spoke clearly about the immense economic progress we’ve made on his watch. No other president has seen two years of strong job growth like Joe Biden. Our national deficit has been cut by a record $1.7 trillion. A whopping 517,000 jobs were created just last month. We have the lowest unemployment rate since 1969. And 100,000 new clean energy sector jobs have already been created since the Inflation Reduction Act was enacted. Although these numbers speak for themselves, tonight President Biden connected these impressive metrics to stories of real people who have benefited from his visionary policies.  

“The President directly confronted House Republicans’ reckless economic proposal to gut Social Security and Medicare and impose a 30% national sales tax on Americans. The GOP’s plan would steal benefits older Mainers have earned and sap the life savings of retirees. House Republicans know their debt ceiling rhetoric rings hollow. As the President said, raising the debt ceiling is a routine, bipartisan obligation to cover previous spending. It does not accrue new debt. That’s why they voted to raise the debt ceiling three times under President Trump. I am grateful President Biden set the record straight tonight.

“In this time of extreme income inequality, I was heartened to hear President Biden’s plans to hold big corporations accountable for making excessive profits while taking advantage of consumers and our tax code. From cutting credit card late fees to quadrupling the tax on corporate stock buybacks, President Biden’s proposals to rein in greed will make a major difference in the lives of working families and ensure corporations pay their fair share.”

“Tonight, President Biden outlined what we have already achieved under his leadership. But there is so much more work to do to restore reproductive freedom, reduce gun violence, bring down the cost of prescription drugs, support our veterans, fight climate change, and keep our democracy alive. I look forward to working with our President and my congressional colleagues to address these challenges and improve the lives of our constituents.” 

Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC) Director Nirav D. Shah joined Pingree for the address as her special guest. Director Shah, who helped to lead Maine through the coronavirus pandemic and oversaw the state’s widely successful vaccination program, will soon join the U.S. CDC as principal deputy director.

Click here to download video and photos of Pingree and Director Shah ahead of the address. 

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