Wilson Blasts Obama's SOTU Address

There was no "You lie!" moment for Congressman Joe Wilson, R-Springdale, at last night's State of the Union speech by President Barack Obama. But there was plenty to criticize, the congressman said.

"Despite the president’s failed stimulus, for the past 35 months, our nation’s unemployment rate has remained above eight percent. With over 13 million Americans searching for employment and a national debt totaling more than 15 trillion dollars, I had hoped the President would highlight sound ideas to promote job creation and allow for private sector growth during his speech this evening," Wilson said in a statement released Wednesday.

Wilson said the president's failure to focus on ways to cap spending and create jobs would prove ruinous.

"... the president plans to impose higher taxes on hardworking Americans, threatening more of our nation’s jobs," Wilson said.

"The president’s decision to delay the Keystone Pipeline, a shovel-ready project that will add 120,000 jobs to our economy without costing taxpayers a single dime, threatens jobs in Lexington at Michelin Automotive and in Aiken at MTU Detroit Diesel," he added. 

Wilson noted that House republicans have sent more than 30 bipartisan job-creation bills to the Senate, where 27 of them are awaiting action.

"It is my hope," Wilson said, "that the president and the liberal Senate will echo the initiatives of House republicans and find ways to work together to help restore the American people’s faith in government by putting American families back to work."

Read the full transcript of the State of the Union address here.