Perlmutter Reaction to President's State of the Union Speech 

Tonight, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) attended President Obama's fifth State of the Union address.  Perlmutter issued the following statement:

"The President is right -- through innovation, education and cooperation, our country will continue on the road to economic recovery and stability. But we can't cut our way to prosperity -- we have to work together in a bipartisan way to cut waste, not jobs."

"We can't continue the partisan politics of kicking the can down the road and bringing the country to the brink of shutting down.  We need to act now to avoid the harshest penalties of the sequester which could go into effect in March and jeopardize thousands of jobs in Colorado as well as our national security. 

"The hardworking people in the middle are the true engines of our economic prosperity.  We want a country where American ingenuity is the envy of the world, and investments in education, infrastructure, and new industries are the future we build together. Tonight, the President laid out a responsible plan to fuel our future, secure our energy independence and build on America's path toward economic stability and prosperity."  

Perlmutter also hosted as his guests at the State of the Union Theresa and Amanda Hoover, as well as Lasamoa Cross - the mom, cousin and girlfriend of A.J. Boik who was tragically killed in the Aurora theatre shooting this summer. 

"Sadly, gun violence impacts all of us.  I appreciate Theresa, Amanda, Dave Hoover and Lasamoa being here this week to remind us all of the very real and personal human toll acts of gun violence can have on our communities.  I've heard from many constituents, families, law enforcement, sportsmen and women, who want us to act now to take common sense steps  to make gun violence less easy, less frequent and less deadly and keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of dangerous people," said Perlmutter. "We can't wait another day, week or month.  The time to act and the time for a vote is now on measures to keep our kids and communities safer without infringing upon the rights of lawful, legal and responsible gun owners."

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