State of the Union: Obama’s Economic Proposals Add to Growing 2016 Debate
th both parties in Washington fixated on finding new ideas to help America’s middle class, President Barack Obama in his State of the Union Tuesday called for universal, free community college, guaranteed paid sick leave and more tax hikes on the wealthy, using his bully pulpit to set policy markers that presidential candidates in both parties must now react to.
In his first six years in office, Obama has been dogged by criticism over the economy, with Republicans and even some centrist Democrats suggesting his policies were ineffective in helping the country recover from the recession.
Now with the federal deficit dropping and huge job growth over the last year, Obama is articulating proposals that reflect a country no longer in an economic crisis. His speech Tuesday included many ideas targeted at middle-class Americans who have not benefited from the economic growth, including his proposal to offer seven days of paid sick leave for workers who don’t get it now.
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