Rep. Costello Responds To President Trump's State Of The Union Address

While he stopped short of overwhelming praise, Chester County's U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello (PA R-6) struck a positive tone in his review of President Trump's State of the Union on Tuesday night.

The State of the Union marked the first major speech of Trump's presidency and his first address of Congress. By Trump standards, the speech was relatively non-controversial, and received generally high ratings, as an estimated 28.2 percent of American households tuned in, according to CNN. Many analysts characterized Trump's moderate tone as presidential.

He also received a bipartisan standing ovation when he addressed Carryn Owens, the widow of fallen Navy SEAL William Ryan Owens.

Costello, as he has done in the past, took a middle of the line approach to the President's speech, suggesting that his plan could lead to productive compromise.

"President Trump’s focus on infrastructure investment, national security, improving the VA, creating jobs, fighting drug addiction, and immigration reform appears to me to be areas where we may be able to develop bipartisan consensus and action, and we all have to spend time uniting the country," Costello said in a statement. "I look forward to working with the Administration and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure our country moves forward on the right track."

Costello hit on a similar note of moderation after Trump's refugee executive order in January. Like many other moderate Republicans, Costello avoided taking a stance on Trump during the election. During the primary season, Costello spoke of his admiration for both Jeb Bush and John Kasich.

The Congressman is under fire from some after he declined an invitation to attend a town hall meeting organized by a group of constituents at Phoenixville Area High School. He has since held numerous tele-town halls, following a national trend.

The 7th Congressional District includes a large swath of Chester County, in addition to gerrymandered pieces of Montgomery, Berks, and Lebanon counties.

Image courtesy Rep. Ryan Costello's Office