How Florida members of Congress described the country ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will give his State of the Union speech Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST amid a Russian invasion of Ukraine and a new Gallup poll showing Biden’s job approval rating at 41 percent.
Against that backdrop, how do Florida lawmakers describe the state of our union?
Reporters asked Florida’s 27 U.S. representatives and two senators to share one word that would describe the current state of the country and what they hope to hear from the president tonight.
Many Democrats’ words focused on moving forward: “Unity.” “Promising.” “Resolute.” “Recovery.”
Republicans were less optimistic about the present or the future: “Crisis.” “Wrong track.” “Troubling.” “Divided.”
The full list of responses is below. The story will be updated as more answers are provided.
Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Panama City: “Crisis.”
“President Biden’s radically progressive agenda has brought on crisis after crisis. Americans are grappling with the highest inflation in 40 years, skyrocketing energy prices, and increased crime nationwide. President Biden has also failed with national security and foreign policy. Our crisis at the Southern border is worsening each day as drug cartels engage in the worst human and drug trafficking operation in world history. Furthermore, Biden’s grave mishandling of the Afghanistan Crisis emboldened our enemies and weakened the trust of our allies. This undoubtedly contributed to Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine.”
“During Biden’s State of the Union speech, I would like to hear that he’s learned from his mistakes. Going forward, he must prioritize energy independence and the needs of hardworking Americans – not a partisan agenda.”
Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Gainesville: “Bloviate/Bloviation/Bloviating.”
Rep. John Rutherford, R-Jacksonville: “Crisis.”
“Everywhere you look there is an ongoing crisis. We’re experiencing an economic crisis, an international security crisis, a public safety crisis, a border crisis and a supply chain crisis.”
“I’m hoping to hear how President Biden plans to embrace pro-growth economic policies, protect the border, and reduce rising costs.”
Rep. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee: “Stabilizing.”
“Since the start of his term, President Biden has been working diligently to stabilize the economy. This is shown through the American Rescue Plan, which assisted the American people in the COVID-19 pandemic by providing stimulus aid and his continuous effort to lower costs for working families.”
“I am looking forward to the president discussing the Build Back Better Agenda and its aim to create good-paying jobs for the people in our country and the accessible resources for small businesses to succeed. Additionally, I am anticipating the president to emphasize the importance of unity among Americans and upholding our democracy.”
Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Winter Park: “Unity.”
“As we emerge from the pandemic, the United States confronts a daunting array of challenges at home and abroad — from high inflation and disrupted supply chains to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increasing competition from China. Our ability to overcome these challenges is hamstrung by deep political polarization. Never has it been more important for our nation’s leaders to put patriotism over party. President Biden was elected as a unifying force, and I hope to hear him recommit himself to the cause of forging bipartisan solutions to difficult problems. After all, our unity is our strength.”
Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge: “Wrong-track.”
“Costs are rising, crime is rising, and the federal government no longer respects the Constitutional rights of all citizens, transparency, or the basic rule of law. The two major things I would like to hear is that … He is ending his war on fossil fuel and will make America energy independent … (and) he will close the border like his predecessor did and have his agencies follow the law.”
Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando: “Democracy.”
“From January 6 to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, from our COVID-19 recovery to our economic strengths and challenges, we are at a crossroads in the nation and the world. Amid this chaos and crisis, President Joe Biden is defending democracy at home and abroad – leading the free world and helping build a better America. We passed the American Rescue Plan to get shots in arms, money in pockets, schools back open, and Central Floridians back to work. We passed the Build Back Better Infrastructure Law to upgrade America, boost high-paying jobs, and make our economy more competitive in the 21st century. Now, we must face the challenges ahead by lowering costs, protecting voting rights, boosting American manufacturing, and combating climate change. And our democracy must do so together!”
Rep. Val Demings, D-Orlando: “Determined.”
“America is the greatest nation on Earth and we are determined to rise to the challenges of our time. A million Americans have died (from) the COVID-19 pandemic. We faced a historic economic crash. Democracy is under attack around the world, including here at home. These are serious challenges — what Dr. King called the ‘fierce urgency of now.’ But America has been through tough times before and we will go through tough times again. We won our independence, fought a war to end slavery, expanded the right to vote, built the world’s greatest democracy, transformed horizons of science and technology, beat fascism and deadly diseases. Throughout all of it, generations of Americans found new opportunities and pursued their American Dream. Our resilience has inspired the world. In the last year, we’ve created more new jobs than in any year in history. This is a country that gave me the opportunity to be the first in my family to go to college, and to rise through the ranks to become a chief of police and to represent my constituents at the U.S. Capitol tonight. America can do anything when we work as one nation, indivisible. We can finish off this pandemic and ensure affordable health care and medicines for every American. We can create millions of good new jobs and beat climate change with new technologies. We can expand opportunities for homeownership and universal child care and education for hardworking Floridian families. We can defend pathways to opportunity and bring down costs on gas prices and groceries and other goods. All of these things are possible if we have the courage to fight for them. We are determined to do just that, to hold America to its promise in all things, and to defend the American dream.”
Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Clermont: “Troubling.”
“President Biden’s obsession with pushing far-left policies have created or contributed to an unprecedented number of crises across our country – an economic crisis, an energy crisis, a border security crisis, a crime crisis, an education crisis, a jobs crisis and a national security crisis. This speech is an opportunity for President Biden to admit his failures, take responsibility and commit to reverse his policies that have suppressed our economy, contributed to massive inflation, ended energy independence, hurt children’s education and development, targeted American moms and dads, pushed unconstitutional vaccine mandates on hardworking Americans and attacked constitutional freedoms and liberties.”
Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor: “Crisis.”
Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg: “Resolute.”
“Like the Coast Guard cutter stationed in St Pete, the state of our union is RESOLUTE. We stand RESOLUTELY with our NATO allies against Russian aggression in Ukraine, we are working RESOLUTELY to move past COVID-19 and rebuild our economy, and we will face RESOLUTELY the threats against democracy both external and internal and emerge stronger than ever before.”
Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa: “Rebuilding.”
“Thanks to the work of President Biden and the Congress, we are witnessing real progress to address the concerns of our neighbors. Jobs are being created as we recover from the pandemic, an infusion of local funds is connecting the Tampa Bay area and (rebuilding) our roads and bridges through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and our neighbors continue to be lifted through the American Rescue Plan’s tax credits and provisions. President Biden will address Americans on the historic progress of his administration and the work that continues to solve the climate crisis, foster innovation and local job growth, and lower costs for families, seniors and all of our neighbors.”
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota: “Divided.”
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City: “Uninspired.”
“The state of our nation is uninspired. Joe Biden has failed to inspire the nation with his attempts to quash freedoms at home with big government mandates and failures to stand up for those who are begging for freedom abroad, including Afghan refugees, Ukrainians and Cubans. If the state of our union cannot be described as the ultimate pinnacle of freedom and serve as an inspiration for those who crave democracy around the world, we have truly lost our way as a nation.”
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples: Didn’t provide just one word.
“A man who promised moderation, unity, and compromise, Joe Biden has led with none of those attributes. More than ever, our republic stands divided, hyper-partisan, and less unified than ever before. President Biden’s radical agenda has polarized our political system from reckless social spending, forced medical vaccinations on America’s workforce, and the killing of American energy independence. During his State of the Union address, President Biden must address the numerous shortcomings of his administration as well as real solutions to get America back on track.”
Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach: “Recovery.”
“COVID-19 upended our lives for the past two years and some folks are still struggling. With that said, thanks to the work of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats, our country is on the road to recovery. Americans are getting back to work, students back to school, local businesses re-opening, and COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are in decline.”
Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton: “Committed.”
“The American people are committed in so many ways — in their communities, their states, and on a federal level — to taking action on a critical issue: preventing gun violence.
“I hope that in his State of the Union address, President Biden will highlight this issue. I hope he will clearly explain why we need Congress to do things that can save lives and that aren’t controversial: universal background checks, safe storage requirements, banning ghost guns, and tougher gun trafficking laws. Anything we can do to spare one more community — one more family — the pain that we have experienced in Parkland and Coral Springs and South Florida is what we must do.”
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston: “Momentum.”
“America is getting back on track. This is only the beginning, with more work to do, but our momentum is building. Employment and wages are up. The pandemic is in retreat. Investments in Black, Hispanic and underserved communities surged. More people than ever have health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and families also received the biggest middle-class tax cut in a generation. We also put massive funding into reinforcing America’s transportation backbone, which included an historic $1.1 billion outlay to restore the Everglades. Internationally, America’s tattered image is now one of leadership and strength, and Biden proved it by rallying the free world against Putin to defend Ukraine. That’s all in Biden’s first year with Democrats in charge of Congress. While Republicans like Rick Scott and Marco Rubio plan to raise taxes on seniors and working families, Democrats will keep fighting to lower the costs families regularly struggle with, on prescription drugs, child care and health care. Americans still feel the stress this global pandemic inflicted, and we’ll keep working hard to address that. But tonight I expect President Biden to lay out plans to make America even more resilient and secure, and keep this positive momentum going by putting this nation firmly back on its feet.”
Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens: “Promising.”
“I would describe the current state of our nation as ‘promising.’ President Biden has passed the largest investment designated for infrastructure and transportation in our nation’s history. Unemployment rates have seen all-time lows. We are on the cusp of having the first Black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson, confirmed to the Supreme Court. We’ve made significant strides in the fight against COVID-19 and we’re making progress in areas like education and criminal justice reform. The current state of this nation is promising, because the actions being taken today only make me more hopeful for America’s tomorrow.”
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami: “Jimmy Carter-esque.”
“I would like to hear President Biden reverse his many destructive and irresponsible policies that have fueled skyrocketing inflation, made America energy-dependent, undermined our defense, created an uncontrollable border crisis and weakened our domestic and national security. We are in the midst of the highest inflation rate in over four decades, and the American people are hurting as a result of President Biden’s many self-inflicted crises. Tonight, I would like to hear President Biden’s plan to reverse course and fix the mess he has made.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, Republican: Declined to reply.
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