Udall Responds to President's Final State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement after President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address:

"President Obama was right to be upbeat in his final State of the Union address. We've made tremendous progress in this country. We took historic steps to ensure tens of thousands of New Mexicans - and millions of Americans - can get health care when they're sick. We reformed K-12 education. We're dramatically increasing the production of solar and wind energy. And we're leading a global effort to fight climate change. New Mexico has seen some of the worst effects of climate change, and now the world is finally coming together to take action.

"We still face serious challenges. New Mexico was hit hard by the economic crisis, and we must work together to create jobs and rebuild the economy. We must reform our broken immigration system and end prescription drug abuse. But tonight, the president cut through the negativity we hear so often from the campaign trail. Since I was elected to the Senate, I've worked to tone down the partisanship that divides us by reforming the Senate rules and fixing our broken campaign finance laws. As the president said, we need to focus on making our politics reflect what's best in us. We need to get money out of elections and put our democracy back in the hands of the American people. President Obama challenged Congress to get behind campaign finance reform tonight, and I look forward to continuing to lead that charge.

"I will keep working for more investments to drive innovation and create private sector jobs, to strengthen the middle class and ensure working families can get ahead. We need to keep fighting to increase the minimum wage, ensure women get equal pay for equal work, provide pre-kindergarten education for every child, and keep college affordable for all students. College should be a path to a brighter future - not a mountain of debt. And I was extremely pleased to hear President Obama name all of these as priorities we must all tackle together.

"We've seen progress over the last seven years, but we've also seen bitter partisan divisions. I hope the president's speech ignites a new, strong feeling of pride in our country that enables us to come together to work for future generations."