The Constitution calls for the President to report to Congress periodically on the state of the nation and to “recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”  The practice has evolved into the annual high-profile State of the Union address, which President Obama will deliver on Tuesday.

The stagnant economy and persistently high unemployment present a sober backdrop to this year’s remarks.  Now that President Obama is in the fourth year of his term, Americans have had sufficient time to see the wide gap between his rhetoric and record. 

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released last week offers a snapshot of the public’s growing disappointment.  According to the survey, twice as many Americans say their financial situations have gotten worse since President Obama took office as those who reported their situations had improved.  More than half said the President had achieved “not much” or “little or nothing.”

Making the Crisis Worse

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama asserted that the country’s economic recession was on the decline and “the worst of the storm has passed.”  He said the $1 trillion stimulus had averted a greater financial disaster and that his plan for health-care reform would help lower costs for families and businesses.  As time would tell, these costly proposals were not the means to a solution – but would make the economic crisis worse. 

The size of the federal debt is one of the most telling barometers of how drastically the country has changed.  Since President Obama took office three years ago, government debt has risen by a staggering 43 percent.  It now stands at $15.2 trillion – a level unprecedented in American history. 

Debt, the Economy, and Jobs

There is no doubt that fixing the debt crisis should be chief among the “necessary and expedient” measures the President should include in this year’s State of the Union address.  Any prescription for economic recovery cannot hope for a lasting turnaround without addressing Washington’s out-of-control spending, which continues to generate job-killing uncertainty in the market. 

A Real Commitment to Reform

The country’s taxpayers and job creators deserve a fiscal blueprint from Washington they can depend on – one that shows a real commitment to spending restraint and removes the uncertainty of unforeseen tax hikes.  Senate Republicans were unsuccessful in passing a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution last year, but I am hopeful our call for less spending will guide the policy decisions ahead.

It remains to be seen what President Obama will put on the agenda in his third State of the Union address, but more of the same will not work.  The cost of the last three years is abundantly clear:  America cannot afford to stay in the economic storm the President’s misguided policies have worsened.     

###