Delaware politicians react to Obama’s State of the Union address

Barack Obama delivered his second-to-last State of the Union address as president Tuesday night and the First State was listening.
Delaware’s politicians chimed in on the president’s remarks, citing the need to increase jobs and education, and improve infrastructure, cybersecurity and technology, among other agenda items.
Here are parts of their emailed remarks in response to the president’s address:

• Gov. Jack Markell — read the governor’s full remarks here.
  “I’m particularly pleased by the President’s emphasis on access to our community colleges and I’m proud Delaware has shown great leadership in this area for many years by offering our high school graduates free tuition for two years of higher education through our SEED and INSPIRE scholarship. Institutions like Delaware Tech, and the partnerships they build with our businesses, offer outstanding training and retraining for the jobs of our present and future. The President’s agenda, which importantly includes support for students as well as workers transitioning to new careers, would strengthen these efforts.”
• Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) — read the senator’s full remarks here.
  “While we work to foster a nurturing environment for job growth, I appreciate that the president is determined to protect our economic and national security, especially in cyberspace. For nearly a decade I’ve pushed for bipartisan legislation on data breach prevention and notification, as well as comprehensive cybersecurity legislation. This is an area where Congress and the administration can and should work together to approve this much-needed legislation.”
• Rep. John Carney (D-Del.) — read the congressman’s full remarks here.
  “It’s inevitable that in divided government, not everyone will agree on this approach. My job over this next term in Congress is to work with Democrats and Republicans to find common ground and get things done.  I came to Congress to fight for the middle class. Tonight, the President laid out a promising plan to do the same. He encouraged us to work together for the good of the country, and I intend to continue to do just that.”

Claymont resident Dan Eason, a benefits analyst at Cigna, attended the SOTU as Carney’s guest. The two first met at the Central YMCA in Wilmington, Carney said in a press release.
“Eason was worried about potential layoffs at Cigna because of a provision in the Affordable Care Act that would have caused jobs to move overseas,” Carney staffers said in the release. “The Congressman’s bill, the Expatriate Health Coverage Clarification Act, was ultimately included in the omnibus spending package signed into law late last year, thus saving 500 jobs at Cigna’s Wilmington facility.”