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Will Obama 'pivot' to jobs in State of the Union?

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    Sen. John Barrasso sounds off

  • Duration 3:43
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The President Obama expected to cover a lot of ground in tonight's state of the union including immigration guns and Afghanistan.

But with the nation's economy shrinking in the fourth quarter of last year and the unemployment rate creeping back 40%.

Our next guest says the president's speech should focus on one thing jobs.

Joining us now Republican senator John Barrasso of Wyoming.

You say the president didn't even mention the word jobs in his inaugural address you want to hear more about that tonight.

-- the American people want to hear more about that tonight John and thanks for having me.

When you -- American people what they're focused on what they're concerned about it's jobs the economy the debt and spending.

And yet the president never said the word jobs never said the word debt in his second inaugural address he really needs to focus on it.

Tonight now that the press is reporting that he is going to pivot to jobs -- this is about the -- Time in the last four years that the -- that the president is now pivoting to jobs.

Well the president as you know it was a very eloquent speaker and and a and a good salesman -- -- when he says we need to make investments in things like.

Infrastructure or education.

We need to spend government money.

To make those investments to build an economy that will last isn't he talking about jobs.

Well one of the things when you talk about increased spending Americans believe as they send their hard earned taxpayer dollars.

To Washington.

That they get very little value for that money that's less than half of what they send is actually they believe.

Used efficiently.

The president talks about additional education which is important.

But we have all of these recent graduates -- people ready to graduate having a very hard time finding jobs in the area for which they trained.

Shots -- -- -- a couple of things the president could do immediately to help the jobs market.

One of course is to approve the keystone XL pipeline.

To help us also with our energy security the other is to approve the free trade agreement -- Europe that will help both the United States as well as Europe and we'll help employment.

I don't know a single family that hasn't over the last few years sat down taken a hard look at its budget and just found some ways to cut back because you know.

As you mentioned there -- a lot of people hurting out there why has the federal government not been able to do or not been inclined to do the same thing.

Well the president's budget -- in the past that he's submitted always late has been dead on arrival hasn't even gotten any Democrats to vote for it.

Harry Reid -- not have the senate majority.

Pass a budget in the last four years the senate the last time the senate passed a budget was actually before the iPad had been invented.

So you talk about how far of though that has been.

Families have to balance their budgets most states like my home state -- Wyoming we balance our budget.

Every year I believe we need a balanced budget amendment of the constitution the president continues to oppose those sorts of things.

-- the president has said that he doesn't think the federal government has a spending problem -- 83% of Americans disagree with him according to our latest Fox News poll they say.

And that that -- they -- government does spend too much money why the disconnect.

Well and Nancy Pelosi said the same thing this weekend on one of the talk shows.

Americans know the problem in this country is that we spend too much.

Not that we're taxed too little.

And that's where the Republicans -- specifically focusing our attention when trying to get the spending under control which is what American families.

Have been doing what the nation needs to do right now John.

I'm sure we'll see you there in the gallery -- the state of the union tonight thanks for spending some time with us today senator John Barrasso Wyoming Republican I think -- Thank you John.

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