Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s final State of the Union address:

“The country has made a lot of progress since the president’s first State of the Union address seven years ago. We have seen steady job growth and record numbers of Americans getting health insurance, but we still have work to do to make sure that Inland Empire families feel the effects of the recovery.  We need to ensure that our communities in San Bernardino County have a fair shot at the economic success that has been seen nationwide.  

“The fact remains that hardworking families in San Bernardino simply aren’t feeling the advances we’ve made. Parents are forced to work multiple jobs to keep up with the rising cost of everyday living expenses like groceries and gas, and are struggling to plan for long-term expenses like the cost of college, health care and retirement security. We can and we must do more to support middle-class families from San Bernardino to communities across the country. This means raising the minimum wage. It means growing small business jobs in the Inland Empire through targeted tax breaks. And it means making college affordable for every family. No parent should have to choose between sending their child to college and having reliable savings to retire.  

“I’m glad the president mentioned the gun violence epidemic that has touched communities across our nation, including our own. The threats we face from gun violence have long been a crisis in San Bernardino, before the terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center, and will continue to be until we take meaningful and commonsense steps to make our neighborhoods safer. Our world is a dangerous place – as the president reminded us of the precarious position we find ourselves in as we continue to combat terrorism here and abroad. This means that we must continue to combat the Islamic State and the threat posed by radicalization, and take every opportunity to make our country and world safer for the next generation.”