Utah politicians respond to Biden's joint address to congress

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah politicians responded to President Biden after he marked his first 100 days in office with a joint address to congress.

In the address, Biden pitched his American Jobs Plan and a new $1.8 trillion American Families Plan that invests in families, children and the education system.

If approved, billions of dollars in the American Families Plan would be designated to provide free preschool for all three- and four-year-old children. He also wants to make two years of community college free.

Biden called the jobs plan a "blue-collar blueprint to build America," and is proposing funding for the plans by raising taxes on high-income households, those making $400,000 a year or more.

Read - President Biden pitches jobs and family plans in address to Congress

Some Utah politicians believe the administration's spending the past few months will have serious repercussions for generations.

Senator Mitt Romney commented on the proposals in a written statement that said in part, “It’s hard to live within a budget and much easier to spend money like there’s no tomorrow. Unfortunately, the President has a lot of things he’d like to do, but he’s spending like crazy. In his first 100 days, he has proposed six trillion dollars of new spending. That is a modern record," The statement reads. "To put that in context, six trillion dollars is about four times our total federal budget. That is an amazing amount of money, and it has the potential of jeopardizing our kids’ future and burdening them with decades of interest costs."

The address came as the Biden administration approaches it's first 100 days in office. Some Utah Politicians believe that Biden has not brought the unity that was promised during his inauguration.

Senator Mike Lee said in a written statement, "Rather than the “unity” he promised, President Biden has instead delivered extreme partisanship. He’s taken unprecedented action to fulfill a progressive, far-left agenda and to increase the size, scope, and cost of the federal government."

Representative Blake Moore believes that the President's decision to hault oil and gas leases in his first 100 days in office was more harmful than helpful to Utahns. "Despite his calls for unity and bipartisanship, his first 100 days in office have revealed one of the most partisan administrations in our history with 42 executive orders—the most since the Truman Administration—that push left-wing priorities without any input at all from Congress, American families, or other stakeholders," Moore said in a written statement. "His executive order halting oil and gas leases has threatened the livelihoods of Utahns living in our rural communities, and his corporate and federal tax hikes will stunt our nation’s desperately needed economic growth, exacerbate our national debt crisis, and harm job prospects for the most vulnerable in our communities."

Representative Burgess Owens called on Biden to restore the nation by representing all. “The Democrats' progressive pet projects and disastrous policies come at the expense of hardworking taxpayers and future generations. To truly restore the soul of our nation, the President must stop governing from the far left and start representing all Americans," he said in a statement.