President Obama, in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, laid out his agenda for the year.
Obama, who was making his sixth State of the Union address, made the case for what he called "middle class economics," adding that with the economic recovery taking hold it was time to ensure more Americans were sharing in the benefits. NPR's Scott Horsley reported on the speech for our Newscast unit this morning. He said:
"President Obama celebrated just how far the country has come since the deep recession that began seven years ago. With the economy growing, the deficit shrinking, and domestic energy production surging, Obama says the United States has a choice to make of where it goes from here."
"Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well?" Obama said. "Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes an effort?"
The president called for higher investment taxes on the richest Americans, and for the proceeds to benefit working families.
Sen. Joni Earnest, R-Iowa, offered the GOP response to Obama's speech. As NPR's Christopher Dean Hopkins noted, Earnest, who in 2014 became the first woman elected to the Senate from Iowa, echoed many of the themes in Obama's speech, but also reinforced her party's opposition to Iran and the Affordable Care Act.
Obama visits Boise, Idaho, today to begin building support for many of the proposals he made in Tuesday's speech.
You can find more of our coverage of the State of the Union here:
Transcript of Sen. Joni Earnest's Response
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