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Congressman Tom Reed talks with members of regional media – including WRFA’s Jason Sample – during a conference call on Tuesday Morning, Feb. 5, 2020 to discuss several issues, including President Donald Trump’s 2020 State of the Union report.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

Bemus Point’s Ben Cornell with Congressman Tom Reed at the JDRF of WNY’s 20th anniversary gala. (Image from Rep. Tom Reed’s Facebook page).

WASHINGTON – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) will be one of several hundred individuals attending Tuesday’s State of the Union address by President Donald Trump and – like all other lawmakers in Washington – he is allowed to bring a guest to attend as well.

This year, Reed has selected 14-year old Ben Cornell of Bemus Point to be his guest. Reed is co-chair of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus and Cornell is a 14-year-old with Type I Diabetes.

Reed said that Cornell recently invited him to attend the Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation of Western New York’s 20th anniversary Gala to hear him share his story as the “Fund a Cure” Speaker. Reed added that he is pleased to return the favor by inviting Cornell to the State of the Union.

“Diabetes is an issue that touches just about every family in one way or another,” Reed said. “My son has Type I Diabetes, my first floor speech in Congress was on the topic of diabetes, and I have continued to put forward policies that will help people impacted by this disease as we work together to find a cure. Ben recently invited me to attend the JDRF of Western New York’s 20th anniversary Gala to hear him share his story as the “Fund a Cure” Speaker, and I am pleased to return the favor by inviting him to the State of the Union.”

“I would like to thank my Congressman for this special invitation,” Cornell said. “You can tell that Type I Diabetes is an issue he truly cares about, and I appreciate his work to improve the lives of those affected by this disease. I am excited to experience all that goes into this once in a lifetime opportunity.”

President Donald Trump on Feb. 5 during his 2019 State of the Union address before Congress (Image Courtesy of White House)

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump delivered the 2019 State of the Union to Congress on Tuesday.

While his message focused mostly on the economy, his border wall, and foreign policy issues in both the Middle East and South America, Trump also took a few moments to criticize New York State for it’s recent abortion legislation – The Reproductive Health Act – that was passed in Albany and signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Supporters of the bill, including the governor, said the new legislation provides a series of measures codifying abortion protections and expanding reproductive health rights for women and their health care providers.

But as part of his statement, Trump focused in on the most controversial component of the legislation – the late term abortion clause – and omitted the details that the law permits abortions after 24 weeks only if a health care professional determines the health or life of the mother is at risk, or the fetus is not viable.

“There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays are nation saw in recent days. Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments from birth,” Trump said, adding, “To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb.”

In response to the comment, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who’s also a 2020 presidential hopeful, released a statement criticizing the president’s general comments in the State of the Union while also specifically addressing his comments regarding late-term abortion.

“President Trump has had years to bring this country together, but instead he has chosen to divide the country across every single line he can imagine,” Gillibrand said. “If President Trump wants to convince the country that he actually cares about bringing us together, then he can start by no longer using government workers as political pawns, reuniting the families that his Administration ripped apart at the border, and stopping with political wedge issues like telling women they can’t make their own health decisions in consultation with their doctor.”

Governor Cuomo also released a statement criticizing Trump for his comments on the new state law.

“President Trump proposed rolling back the protections provided by Roe v. Wade — the law of our nation for 46 years affirmed and reaffirmed by numerous Supreme Courts. Never. New York has a message to those who spread lies and fear to control women’s reproductive health decisions: Not going to happen. Not now, not ever,” Cuomo stated. 

President Barack Obama delivering the 2015 State of the Union to Congress Tuesday, Jan. 20. (Photo from abcnews.com)

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama struck a defiant tone during his State of the Union Tuesday night – calling on his Republican opponents in congress to raise taxes on the rich while also threatening to veto legislation that would challenge his key decisions.

• VIEW/READ THE FULL 2015 STATE OF THE UNION

The president appeared before a joint session of Congress for his State of the Union speech in a confident mood, buoyed by an economic revival that has trimmed the country’s jobless rate to 5.6 percent and eager to use this as a mandate.

President Obama told lawmakers and millions watching on television that it’s now time to “turn the page” from recession and war and work together to provide support for middle-class Americans by initiating his plan to increase taxes on the wealthiest of Americans.

The core of the President’s plan to boost the middle class is to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans by $320 billion over the next 10 years to pay for expanded tax credits and educational benefits for the middle class, including two years of free community college.

But by calling for higher taxes that Republicans are unlikely to approve and also chiding those who suggest climate change is not real, President Obama set a confrontational tone for his final two years in office.

He also vowed to veto any Republican effort to roll back his signature healthcare law and his unilateral loosening of immigration policy, which is likely to create a contentious atmosphere in between his administration and congress in 2015.

Many of the proposals the president outlined, while popular with many Americans, are unlikely to become reality, given Republican opposition and the fact the President will soon become a lame duck as the county turns its attention to the 2016 campaign to succeed him.

But even if Republicans refuse to support President Obama’s wealth redistribution proposals, they could be forced to consider alternative ways to tackle income inequality and prove they can govern, which could be a factor for Americans as they consider whether to elect a Republican as president in 2016.

President Obama’s speech was mostly about domestic issues and was relatively light on foreign policy, but he did spend some time on several issues.

He defended his decision in December to seek to normalize relations with Communist-ruled Cuba and urged Congress to lift the more than 50-year-old U.S. economic embargo against Havana.

He called on lawmakers to pass a new authorization of military force against Islamic State militants to replace powers that were given to President George W. Bush to prosecute the Iraq war.

The President also reiterated a promise he made when he first took office and vowed an unrelenting effort to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where foreign terrorism suspects have been held since 2002.

And President Obama urged Congress to give him trade promotion authority, the power to negotiate free trade deals. Democrats have opposed giving him the power, fearing the deals he makes will hurt American labor.

President Obama delivering the 2014 State of the Union (image from whitehouse.gov)

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will deliver his annual State of the Union address tonight in Washington and many expect that during the speech, he’ll challenge the Republican-led Congress to back his tax-raising ideas for helping middle-class Americans.

Obama will push a plan to increase taxes by $320 billion over 10 years on the wealthy by closing tax loopholes and imposing a fee on big financial firms. The money would be used to pay for an increase in benefits for the middle class.

Obama’s aim is to help those left behind by an economic revival taking hold six years into his tenure and which began with the Democrat facing a crippling financial crisis.

Obama’s proposals are already being viewed skeptically by Republicans who control both houses of Congress and who are in no mood to raise taxes on anyone.

But White House officials are betting that Republicans, also under pressure to help the middle class and needing to prove they can govern, will be willing to compromise on some aspects of the plan.

The proposals are also likely to be the subject of a debate among potential candidates to replace him in 2016, a campaign that is just now getting started.

The speech will also allow Obama to update Americans on the struggle against Islamic extremists, two weeks after 17 people were killed in Paris attacks.

He will also defend his decision to seek to normalize diplomatic relations with Cuba.

The state of the union will be delivered before congress and will be broadcast at 9 p.m. tonight on most major network television stations.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) is offering more feedback on President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address. The Corning Republican said he was pleased to see a manufacturing bill he has co-sponsored being highlighted in the President’s address Tuesday night.

During the speech, the President Obama pledged support for the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act (RAMI), an initiative both Reed and Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) introduced in the House last summer, with a companion bill introduced in the Senate by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

Reed said the bill has been a top priority for his office during his current term and he was happy the president acknowledged it Tuesday night. “He talked about desire to grow advanced manufcacturing hubs and manufacturing jobs in the United STates, to me, that is something I am very excited to be a part of and will continue to push forward to get these bills out of the house and senate and into the white house and into law, to take advantage of that manufacturing rebirth of making it here and selling it there and I’m going to push on that agenda.”

The RAMI Act will create a regional network of manufacturing institutes across the country designed to commercialize research and development into manufactured products, train an advanced manufacturing workforce and support manufacturers of all sizes. The bill creates public-private partnerships to bring together manufacturers, businesses and universities to coordinate resources.

Jamestown Community College has had its own Manufacturing Technology Institute in place for the past decade and Reed toured the facility in 2013 while doing research prior to finalizing the RAMI bill.

President Obama delivering the 2014 State of the Union (image from whitehouse.gov)

WASHINGTON – President Obama delivered his 2014 State of the Union address on Tuesday night and during the speech, he said he would act on his own, if necessary, to help his fellow Americans. In his address, the president said 2014 will be a “year of action.” And while the president said he will use executive orders if need be, he also showed he knows that true progress depends on cooperation with a divided and recalcitrant Congress.

• 2014 SOTU FULL TRANSCRIPT [via Washington Post]

During the more than an hour-long speech, the President  echoed his calls from 2013 to recalibrate the tax code, spend more to rebuild roads and bridges, bolster education and avoid war if at all possible. But his underlying theme was his call for the government to work on behalf of all Americans in 2014, and his pledge to do so even if Congress refused to join him in an election year.

It’s an optimistic goal for a President with a 43 percent approval rating entering his sixth year, in office and facing a determined opposition in the Republican-led House of Representatives with congressional elections looming in November.

LOCAL REACTION

In response to the president’s address, local Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) released the following statement:

“More of the same out of Washington won’t help Southern Tier and Finger Lakes families. For this year to be any different we have to be realistic about our divided government, move forward on shared goals and address the top priority for Americans: jobs.

When I ask constituents at town halls what the issue is in the forefront of their minds, the answer is instant: jobs. Families are concerned about their well being and prospects for their children and grandchildren to find jobs in this economy. They need a government to listen and to care.

We can make jobs a priority without more Washington spending, red tape and mandates but we first must commit to working together to do so. The sectors we’re seeing poised for substantial job growth – sectors like manufacturing and domestic energy production – are the areas everyone on both sides of the aisle would do well to support.

I was pleased to hear the President talk about how growing manufacturing hubs, particularly growth as a result of my bipartisan Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act, would serve the country well.

I was likewise pleased to hear the President talk about what a game changer safe extraction of natural gas can be for our economy, transportation, and infrastructure. I hope that he goes beyond the rhetoric and puts his words into action for manufacturing, construction and energy jobs.

Between the rising premiums, cancelled health insurance policies and cut wages, I was also expecting to hear more from the President on ways to lessen the blow and help families struggling in very real ways under Obamacare.  It was disappointing that the President failed to acknowledge that real problems are impacting workers, families and small businesses because of Obamacare.

At the end of the day, it’s the average taxpayer who is hurt most by mandates and poor policy coming out of Washington. At the end of the day, Americans need a job and a steady paycheck to support their families – and they are fairly asking their government to help make that possible. Surely we can all agree to come to the table and join forces for this fundamental task.”

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – President Obama will deliver his State of the Union tonight to Congress. In the address, president Obama will lay out his goals for the coming year as they relate to a myriad of national issues, including healthcare, growing the economy and immigration.

Chautauqua County’s Representative Washington – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) – will be in attendance for the address and says he’s hoping to hear President Obama layout realistic and obtainable goals that involve both sides of the aisle working together.

“What I’m not looking for is a simple laundry list of why the President and other Democrat’s agenda is the only way to go. What I’m looking for is something that is not the ‘my way or the highway’ approach, but to see if there’s an area that we can come – in a divided government – together to find common ground and to achieve for the upcoming year.”

According to some Washington insiders, the president may mention the possible use of executive orders to obtain some goals, if congress is unwilling to cooperate. Reed says that’s not something he would like to see happen…

“He is not going to be president forever and what could be established by this president in regards to executive authority could be utilized by future presidents that maybe people don’t agree with,” Reed explained. “That’s the beauty of our system of checks and balances – and that’s where I’m a strong believer in our constitution and what our founding fathers put together. Seeing the president utilize this executive authority to the level that it has and he’s contemplating doing [this] is something we all should be concerned about.”

The Presidents State of the Union Address will air tonight, beginning at 9 p.m.