Presidential Candidates Respond to State of the Union

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (CBS2/FOX28) — We will update this story as statements come in:

Sen. Cory Booker

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Julian Castro

John Delaney

“Tonight’s State of the Union address should be more than a campaign speech filled with applause lines and empty words. The State of the Union should be a moment to tell the truth. This address should be an opportunity to give the American people an honest assessment of the problems we face as a nation and a platform to offer substantive policy solutions. Rather than make the State of the Union a partisan pep rally, we should take advantage of such an opportunity to provide facts, introduce new ideas, and move the nation forward.

“In addition to making the State of the Union more about the actual state of our union, the president should regularly debate Congress, as the Prime Minister does in the United Kingdom. We need more substance, more accountability, and more transparency. As president, I will debate Congress once a quarter for three hours, giving the American people the opportunity to see a substantive discussion that moves past applause lines and talking points.”

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Sen. Kamala Harris

Andrew Yang

Yang, who is calling for a basic universal income of $1,000 a month for every American adult, released this presentation.