Republicans Reject Obama’s Main Economic Proposals - WSJ

WASHINGTON—Congressional Republicans rejected the central economic proposals underpinning President Barack Obama ’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, saying they want to advance their own solutions aimed at spurring economic growth for all income groups.

In his first joint address to a Congress now controlled by Republicans, Mr. Obama gained little traction for his plan to lift the middle class by raising taxes on upper-income taxpayers and expanding a range of tax breaks aimed at boosting incomes for low- and middle-income earners.

“All the president offered tonight is more taxes, more government and more of the same approach that has failed middle-class families,” House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) said after the speech. “These aren’t just the wrong policies, they’re the wrong priorities: growing Washington’s bureaucracy instead of America’s economy.” 

In a contrast to Mr. Obama’s celebration of the economy’s improvements, GOP lawmakers focused on the problems they said plagued the country during the six years of his presidency and highlighted their own agenda for his final two.

“Americans have been hurting, but when we demanded solutions, too often Washington responded with the same stale mind-set that led to failed policies like Obamacare,” said freshman Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, delivering the official GOP response.  - Read More at WSJ

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