Sen. Kelly Statement on President Biden’s State of the Union Address

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a 25-year Navy veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued this statement on President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address:

“As Russia’s illegal and increasingly devastating invasion of Ukraine continues, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are united in support of Ukraine, and will continue working to provide the military and humanitarian assistance needed.

“I’ve heard from Arizonans across the state who are frustrated with Washington’s dysfunction and inability to tackle the challenges they face, whether it’s the rising cost of prescription drugs or the price of groceries and gasoline. Over the past year, I worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass an infrastructure law that will put Arizonans to work building and upgrading our ports of entry, water infrastructure, and roads. At the same time, there is much more work to be done rebuilding our economy and lowering everyday costs for families,” said Kelly.

“In the Senate I negotiated and passed a plan to boost microchip manufacturing in Arizona and across the country, and I was glad to see the President place a priority on getting our legislation across the finish line. Congress should be focused on efforts like these to fix our supply chains and drive down costs, including by directing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, boosting our trucking workforce, and taking more immediate steps like getting rid of the federal gas tax for the rest of the year,” continued Kelly.

“This is a long to-do list, but I’m used to those, and won’t stop working with Republicans and Democrats to deliver results for Arizonans,” Kelly concluded.

Further Background:

In the Senate, Kelly has maintained a focus on bolstering Arizona’s economic recovery, lowering costs for families including lowering the price of prescription drugs, and boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing jobs.

Through his role on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and as Chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities (ETC), Kelly has worked on and supported robust security assistance to Ukraine. He recently called for additional aid and tougher sanctions on Russia. The U.S. has committed to an unprecedented $1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, with Kelly’s support, over the last year alone and has expedited aid in recent weeks.