Jan. 24, 2012

Washington, D.C. - Jason Grumet, President of the Bipartisan Policy Center, issued this statement following President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“The president’s speech combined a number of traditional democratic themes with some unexpected ideas designed to resonate with members of both parties and independent voters. While 2012 is going to be a tough year for policy enactment, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) believes that some progress is possible. BPC shares the view that increasing domestic natural gas production is the right direction for the economy and environment. The president’s commitment to an ‘all of the above’ energy policy and an ‘all options on the table’ Iran policy offer a basis for meaningful bipartisan discussions on both domestic and foreign policy.

“The president did not suggest any new approaches to tackling the debt. We continue to believe that a payroll tax holiday is an efficient way to spur short-term economic growth and job creation. Still, a bipartisan and long-term approach for fiscal restraint and deficit reduction is needed, and any comprehensive debt reduction package must include entitlement and broad-based tax reforms.

“Getting the economy back on track is the greatest challenge we face today. While there is much in the president’s speech that will not be acted on this year, the address presents a short list of several meaningful measures that Congress should pursue in the coming months.”

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