Arizona leaders react to President Biden’s first address to Congress
Apr 28, 2021, 9:36 PM | Updated: 10:46 pm
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: U.S. President Joe Biden addresses a joint session of congress in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol on April 28, 2021 in Washington, DC. On the eve of his 100th day in office, Biden was to speak about his plan to revive America's economy and health as it continues to recover from a devastating pandemic. He was scheduled to deliver his speech before 200 invited lawmakers and other government officials instead of the normal 1600 guests because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Jim Watson - POOL/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jim Watson - POOL/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — Arizona leaders reacted Wednesday evening to President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress, with their opinions on the speech being mostly split along party lines.
Biden focused on the message that “America is rising anew” while pointing to the nation’s emergence from the pandemic as a vital moment to rebuild the U.S. economy and fundamentally transform roles the government plays in American life.
He used the prime-time address to make his pitch directly to Americans for his expansive — and expensive — vision to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges, water pipes and other infrastructure, bolster public education and extend other benefits for a wide swath of Americans.
Arizona’s senior Democratic U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in a statement said she welcomed Biden’s continued focus on ending the COVID-19 pandemic and his commitment to “ensuring America wins the global competition with foreign competitors such as China.”
“Protecting jobs and expanding economic opportunities for everyday Americans are goals that unite all Americans,” Sinema said.
Fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona echoed Sinema in welcoming Biden’s dedication to infrastructure and maintaining a competitive edge over China, but he was disappointed to see Biden didn’t put forth a plan during his first speech to fix the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“While I share President Biden’s urgency in fixing our broken immigration system, what I didn’t hear tonight was a plan to address the immediate crisis at the border, and I will continue holding this administration accountable to deliver the resources and staffing necessary for a humane, orderly process as we work to improve border security, support local economies and fix our immigration system,” Kelly said.
Kelly wasn’t alone in wanting a plan to be discussed.
Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, who was on the House floor during the speech, told KTAR News 92.3 FM he would have liked to hear a reinstitution of the remain in Mexico policy among other potential fixes.
“He did not touch border security or the border crisis at all.”
Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran disagreed with Kelly and Biggs, saying there was “a lot of discussion on the border.”
“I thought he spent a good three or four minutes out of the entire thing, he wanted to show I think that he wants the border secure, he wants to use technology on the border, he wants to make sure that we have the Dreamers Act taken care of,” O’Halleran told KTAR News 92.3 FM, adding Biden’s comments on families and jobs were the topics that stood out to him.
Biden urged Congress to act on immigration reform and protection for Dreamers, which Democratic Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick and Greg Stanton agree with.
DREAMers are #HereToStay. It’s beyond time to pass serious legislation to uphold our commitment to them & put them on a path to citizenship. #JointAddress
— Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (@RepKirkpatrick) April 29, 2021
.@POTUS is right. Immigrants make our communities stronger. And the #DreamAndPromise Act and Farm Workforce Modernization Act will make our economy stronger—that’s especially true for Arizona.
— Rep. Greg Stanton (@RepGregStanton) April 29, 2021
Arizona’s Democratic representatives also agreed with Biden on the need to focus on affordable health care, get people back to work and help America’s middle class.
“Health care should be a right, not a privilege in America.” #JointAddress
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) April 29, 2021
Tonight’s #JointAddress by @POTUS made the case that government can work for the people again.
From immigration and infrastructure to the climate crisis and racial justice, we must harness every tool at our disposal and embrace the bold policy solutions that this moment merits.
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) April 29, 2021
“This is all about a simple premise: Health care should be a right, not a privilege in America.”
The #ACA was my proudest vote in Congress & has been a lifeline for millions of Americans. Let’s keep working to ensure that affordable coverage is within reach for all.
Jobs are critical. We need to help people get back to work. We need to employ veterans. We need American workers helping to tackle the climate crisis. President Biden gets that & I’m excited to work w/ him for good paying jobs that will help us #BuildBackBetter. #JointAddress
— Ruben Gallego (@RepRubenGallego) April 29, 2021
— Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (@RepKirkpatrick) April 29, 2021
Too many Americans are struggling to meet basic needs and cover basic expenses. An economy that fails so many is not only unfair—it’s unsustainable. The American Families Plan is a once-in-a-generation investment in the foundations of middle-class prosperity. #JointAddress
— Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (@RepKirkpatrick) April 29, 2021
Jobs are critical. We need to help people get back to work. We need to employ veterans. We need American workers helping to tackle the climate crisis. President Biden gets that & I’m excited to work w/ him for good paying jobs that will help us #BuildBackBetter. #JointAddress
— Ruben Gallego (@RepRubenGallego) April 29, 2021
Meanwhile, Arizona Republicans balked at the price tag of Biden’s vision.
Well, I think my calculator broke after that speech. #JointAddress
— Rep. David Schweikert (@RepDavid) April 29, 2021
Dramatically raising the capital gains tax will crush any incentives for investment. #JointAddress
— Rep. David Schweikert (@RepDavid) April 29, 2021
Biden wants to raise billions of dollars in taxes while spending trillions of dollars in reckless bills.
That’s liberal math for you.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) April 29, 2021
An Arizona Democratic and Republican representative did agree on one thing Biden touched on – the need to get troops back home.
President Biden’s son served, and he has the backs of those of us who fought overseas and those still fighting years later. I applaud his commitment to bring our troops home from Afghanistan. It’s time.
— Ruben Gallego (@RepRubenGallego) April 29, 2021
Biggs said he doubts the sincerity of Biden wanting to end participation in “forever wars” but hopes he’s being sincere.
“He provided some conditionality on the aspect but when he said that, and he wanted to get out of Afghanistan, I agree with that,” Biggs said. “We’ve been in Afghanistan 20 years and I have a bipartisan caucus that I formed with some of my Democrat friends on use of military force so when he said that, I was in total agreement of that.”
Biggs did say, however, there were probably a couple of other things that he agreed with as well but America’s resilience in the face of adversity and getting out of Afganistan were the topics of Biden’s that stood out.
The Associated Press and KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Martha Maurer and Debra Dale contributed to this report.
