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WASHINGTON, DC—Congressman Paul D. Tonko released the following statement tonight in response to President Biden’s State of the Union Address:

When I’m out in my district and people ask me, ‘what has Biden ever done for me?’ I tell them to pull up a chair and settle in, because we’re going to be here for a while. The laundry list of accomplishments heralded by President Biden were on full display tonight, as was his vision for the future of our nation.

Biden, along with Democrats, have delivered for the American people through monumental legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act, Honoring our PACT Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and American Rescue Plan. Taken together, these bills have supercharged our economy and spurred historic job growth, enabling us to recover from the dark days of the pandemic and move forward with lower health care costs, support for our veterans, once-in-a-generation climate action, needed infrastructure investments, and so much more.

 This is all in stark disparity to extreme Republicans, who, at every turn, have sought to impose cuts that would harm working families and strip away the rights of Americans, as with their ongoing crusade to slash access to reproductive health care and impose a national abortion ban. During his speech, Biden illuminated the contrasting future of America that he and Democrats are working towards versus the one that Donald Trump and extreme Republicans seek to realize.

 With so much at stake, Biden has stated in no uncertain terms that we must go forward, not back. There is far more work to be done. I will do all in my power to meet this moment and deliver a brighter future for the American people.