GOP expects more of the same.
White House spokesman Jay Carney says the president will raise several key issues during his prime-time State of the Union address Tuesday night -- among them, jobs.
"The president's principal preoccupation since he ran for this office has been what we need to do to make our economy work for the middle-class," Carney told reporters Monday.
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The budget, gun control, immigration and so-called climate change also are on tap during the president's speech.
Congressman Kevin Brady expects more of the same, pointing out the unemployment rate still hovers around eight-percent.
"Despite four years of trillion dollar deficits," the Woodlands Republican says. "President Obama is again pitching many of the same failed policies he called for, and he wants more stimulus spending."
Fellow Congressman Gene Green believes the economy is headed in the right direction, though he thinks the president could better embrace Texas' lead in the natural gas industry.
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"The huge increase in jobs in our chemical industry because of our reasonable price of natural gas," the Houston Democrat tells KTRH News. "And we don't want to stop the goose that's laying the golden egg right now."
As for the budget, the White House says health care remains a major issue during negotiations.
"The principal driver when it comes to spending of our deficits and debt, is health care spending," says Carney.
However, Congressman Blake Farenthold warns the public not to believe the hype, adding the state of our union is fair at best.
"Median income of a household has dropped $4,000, health care has gone up $3,000 and in-state tuition is up 25%," says the Corpus Christi Republican.
Hear the president's State of the Union address on KTRH beginning at 8pm, on air, online and i-Heart Radio.
Hear the podcast with Matt Patrick and Houston's Morning News as he talks with Green:
