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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement regarding tonight’s State of the Union Address:

“President Obama tonight bragged about how the economy is doing better. But too many people are not experiencing it because they’re stuck between low wages and a high cost of living. To lift more Americans into the middle class, we need to move forward with a 21^st century agenda that ensures an equality of opportunity, not one that doubles down on outdated proposals to tax and spend more. There’s no bigger priority for me than helping all of our people achieve the American Dream, and the only way that’s going to happen is by working together to bring our innovation economy, higher education system, retirement policies, safety net programs and national defense into the 21^st century.

“The American people are long overdue to have a president stand before Congress and the nation and acknowledge reality: that the 20^th century is gone. That taxing successful people, overregulating job creators and pouring more money into outdated government programs doesn’t actually help struggling people achieve the 21st century American Dream. That saying wars are over isn’t enough to keep us safe. That whether it be on the battlefield, in cyberspace or at the negotiating table, we need a strong and engaged America that stands up for our values and is ready to defeat those who threaten our way of life. And that implementing new immigration policies that haven’t even been passed into law only makes lasting reform more elusive.

“Instead of trying to manipulate our tax code to punish success, President Obama should work with Congress to fundamentally reform our tax code in ways that will grow our entire economy and provide relief to all families. Instead of rewarding repressive, anti-American regimes like Cuba and Iran with undeserved concessions that legitimize and enrich them, he should condition normalized relations on real, irreversible results that protect U.S. national security interests, safeguard human rights and ensure greater political freedoms.”