President Biden faced a divided Congress for his second State of the Union address - bringing a mixed reaction in Washington.
But in Delaware, support for Biden’s message and leadership remains strong.
Delaware’s Congressional delegation liked what it heard in the 2023 State of the Union address.
Delaware’s Senior Senator Tom Carper noted the economic progress being made in the country- which Biden touted as a bipartisan win.
Biden said the 12 million new jobs created over the past 2 years were thanks to the work of those in Congress, and he plans to create and promote thousands more jobs that don’t require college degrees.
“Let’s offer every American a path to a good career whether they go to college or not,” stated Biden.
Carper also praised Biden’s work on foreign trade.
“One of the things Joe Biden is intent on doing is making sure that we sell the products that we grow and make in America around the world. And the way that we’ll do that is without impediment,” Carper said.
Carper added one of Delaware’s biggest industries is agriculture, and piercing foreign markets only stands to help Delaware’s economy grow.
That’s a nod to Biden’s mention of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, a bipartisan bill Biden said cut shipping costs by 90 percent.
And Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester said she looks forward to the President following through on the promises he made during his term thus far.
“I thought he did a great job of making clear that we’re going to stand up and continue to stand up for our seniors, we’re going to continue to stand up for our veterans, we’re going to continue to stand up for the middle class that have built this country,” Blunt Rochester explained. “And I felt like it was one of the most electric speeches I’ve ever heard him give.”
Biden specifically noted progress made on issues such as mental health, the opioid epidemic, and Medicare this year with bipartisan support, and called for continued work across the aisle.
“We’ve made real progress together,” said Biden. “We passed a law making it easy for doctors to prescribe effective treatments for opioid addiction. We passed a gun safety law making historic investments in mental health. We launched the ARPA-H drive for breakthroughs in the fights against cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, and so much more.”
Blunt Rochester added while there were negative reactions from several Republican lawmakers during the speech, she doesn’t believe they reflect the views of the entire GOP.
She said Biden made it clear he is a president for all of America, not just some parts, and looks forward to finding common ground to deliver more positive change this year.
