Larson Statement on the State of the Union

Statement

Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) released the following statement after President Biden's State of the Union address.

"The President spoke to the American people directly tonight. He understands their concerns about COVID, with more than 900,000 Americans having died. He understands that for many people inflation, rising gas prices, and heating costs are the kitchen table issues they're discussing. This is especially true for the elderly and others on fixed incomes who struggle to make ends meet.

"While we still have a lot of work to do, we've also made enormous strides to recover from the pandemic thanks to the Congressional passage of the American Rescue Plan," said Larson. "This law had an enormous impact on thousands from Connecticut:

Katrina, from my hometown of East Hartford, shared that when her hours were cut due to COVID the Child Tax Credit helped her afford the travel and hotel costs to bring her son to a specialist doctor he needed to see.
Rod Yearwood from West Hartford saw his monthly premium with Access Health CT drop from $1,300 per month to just $20 per month, allowing him to save for retirement and pay for his daughters' college education.
TheaterWorks in Hartford received more than $470,000 in COVID relief to help them through the pandemic.
"Additionally, with the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Greater Hartford region now has the funding needed to rebuild our infrastructure, transform our communities, and create good paying jobs.

"Our thoughts are also with Ukraine and its people this evening as Russia continues its horrific attack on a sovereign nation and democracy. I commend President Biden for his unprecedented diplomatic efforts to unite the international community and implement historic and crippling sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion," Larson continued. "I recently met with Myron Kolinsky (Organization Director of the Ukrainian National Home of Hartford) and the local Ukrainian community in Connecticut, and I want them to know this is more than just words, we stand in solidarity with Ukraine and will do everything we can to bring sanctions and continue to unify the free world against this Russian aggression.

"It is also alarming that during this year's State of the Union the Capitol is surrounded by fencing and extra security has been called on board, because of what happened on January 6th last year. Whether it's what's happening in Ukraine or whether it's in our own backyard, democracy is never a guarantee, and it requires eternal vigilance."

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