Washington, D.C. — Tonight, Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12) issued the following statement after President Barack Obama addressed both Houses of Congress during his final State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol:

“President Obama sought to secure his legacy and reset the tone in Washington tonight.  However, he undermined both by continuing to minimize the greatest global threat of our times.  In labeling ISIS nothing more than ‘fighters on the back of pickup trucks,’ the President has shown that he still fails to grasp the serious challenges we face and will do little to offer solutions.   American families want to feel safe, and they deserve better than sugarcoated rhetoric.”

“This is no time for victory laps on the domestic front either, where 5.5 million more Americans are in poverty and 12.7 million Americans have dropped out of the workforce over the last eight years.  While I remain hopeful the President will be compelled to work with Republicans to find solutions in his final year in office, tonight’s speech was not a good start.”