01.30.18

Hoeven Statement on 2018 State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON -- Senator John Hoeven today released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump’s first State of the Union address:

“In tonight’s address, the President focused on the fundamentals and highlighted the progress we’ve made over the last year to grow the economy and create good jobs. Reducing the regulatory burden and passing across-the-board tax relief for Americans has helped to empower our economy and unleash innovation across the nation. 

“The President also made clear his commitment to rebuilding our country and investing in modern infrastructure – which will help us as we work to build flood protection, expand broadband access and invest in roads, bridges and railways in North Dakota communities.

“As the President works to get the best trade deals possible for our country, we need to ensure that any changes to trade agreements, including NAFTA, benefit agriculture and energy. When I met with the President and Vice President a few weeks ago, I outlined the importance of trade to North Dakota and our nation’s agriculture and energy industries, which provide millions of jobs and immense economic growth for our nation. 

“The President also outlined his priorities for border security and immigration. We need to secure the border, end chain migration and the visa lottery system and work to find a fair agreement to DACA.

“We appreciate the President’s focus on national security and modernizing our military forces. Given threats ranging from North Korea to ISIS, we need to invest in our military and our men and women in uniform. North Dakota plays a vital role in our national defense strategy – from our nuclear forces at Minot Air Force Base to our unmanned aircraft missions at Fargo and Grand Forks – which the President showed a commitment to investing in.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Administration to grow our economy, build our nation’s infrastructure, support our military and care for our veterans.”

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