WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address this evening:

“I agreed with the president when he said we need a smarter, more focused government, but unfortunately, I think he’s still talking about a bigger government, and a government that can’t afford to pay its bills.

"Divided government is a great time to solve big problems, and I think the president once again missed a real opportunity to take advantage of this moment. He’s still acting like what he wants to do is exactly what can be done. That’s not how our system works - particularly when you have a president in one party and one house of the Congress in another.

“So, let’s get back to reality. This was the eighth time in four years the president said 'it’s now time to focus on the economy.' Darn right it’s time to focus on the economy - and on private sector jobs that pay the bill. Government jobs are fine, but government jobs don’t pay the bill – they are the bill.

“We need to focus on the private sector, on energy, on job creation – that really will help make America what America can be.”

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