Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

“Tonight, President Obama declared that he will not allow the wishes of the American people to get in the way of his big-government agenda,” said Congressman Price. “For months, Americans have pleaded for the President to embrace a new approach to solving our nation’s problems. We had great hope that President Obama would finally heed the call of the American people, but disappointingly that did not occur. Instead, most of what we heard was a defense of an agenda the nation has already rejected.

“The President may talk about the need for more jobs, but they won’t arrive until he recognizes that it is his agenda that is preventing job creation. The President’s stubborn insistence on a government takeover of health care, costly energy legislation, and greater intervention into the financial markets are scaring away investment and providing uncertainty to small business owners. The elimination of capital gains taxes for small businesses is a welcome proposal we have long embraced, and a minimal spending freeze is a tepid step in the right direction. Yet, until the President digs deeper and drops his larger agenda, they will bear little relief for struggling Americans.

“If the President is serious about working together to find solutions, we remain open and eager to share our ideas. Tonight’s defense of his failed agenda and stimulus plan indicates that the President believes he has no need for input from Republicans, nor the American people for that matter. However, we will remain committed to putting forth our vision for American prosperity and security. What we need are bold, common sense solutions and a new respect for the desires of the American people. Americans have made clear that bigger government is not the answer to our challenges and conservatives are listening. Despite his resistance, we will not relent until we get this message across to the President.”