Nevada delegation divided over State of Union

WASHINGTON - Nevada lawmakers attending the State of the Union speech on Tuesday saw openings for Congress to advance some of President Barack Obama's initiatives this year.

But while Democrats were optimistic, Republicans said they heard little in Obama's address that promised much new, particularly on key issues of government debt and spending.

The divide among Nevadans was evident in the audience, where Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford and Republican Sen. Dean Heller sat next to each other.

Horsford rose numerous times to applaud Obama, while Heller remained seated for stretches of the address.

"The president offered an optimistic vision for how we need to move the country forward," Horsford said, citing Obama's call for comprehensive immigration reform and a promise to preserve safety net programs while seeking "modest reforms" in Medicare.

In a statement, Heller said Congress needs to work together.

But, he said, "Tonight and in past addresses, President Obama has made promises about reducing our growing
$16 trillion debt and bringing fiscal responsibility to Washington. To date, those have been empty promises."

Likewise, Republican Rep. Joe Heck said "a lot of the speech was a different variation on the same theme." Obama repeated his call to reduce the deficit through both spending cuts and more revenues, which Republicans take as nonstarter code for "higher taxes."

Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate's Democratic majority leader, said in a statement Obama's speech put him on the same page as most Americans who want to target waste and "combine smart spending cuts with closing loopholes and asking millionaires to contribute.

"President Obama delivered a clear vision for strengthening the middle class and creating a foundation for long-term growth," Reid said.

Among Obama proposals, Heck spoke approvingly of a proposed Medicare reform similar to one he has proposed to reconfigure doctor payments. And he said the House Education Committee expects to tackle college affordability, which the president got behind in his speech.

Democratic Rep. Dina Titus said lawmakers of both parties will take a close look at Obama's proposals to rebuild infrastructure. The president offered a Fix-It First program to repair roads and bridges and an effort to attract private investments to upgrade ports and pipelines.

"I think you can get bipartisan support for infrastructure," Titus said. "I serve on the Transportation Committee, and those don't have to be partisan."

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.