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IL Politicians React to the President's Remarks

President Obama make it a clear goal of his presidency to address issues facing the American middle class. Several Illinois politicians were on hand for the occasion, but not all Illinois lawmakers have come out in support of the President’s address.

Illinois Representative Aaron Schock (R-IL), as well as the rest of the Illinois GOP delegation, issued a joint statement.

It read, in part, that they “stand ready to work toward real, bipartisan solutions, not listen to another stump speech.”

Though Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon, who was on hand for the speech, said she thought the crowd’s reaction to what the president had to say was refreshing.

"I thought it was interesting when he talked about healthcare the really positive response that he got from that, a standing ovation on healthcare issues. So we hear a lot of critique of Obamacare but obviously in this gym, in this slice of Illinois, people are appreciative," Simon said.

The White House is expected to spend millions of dollars promoting the new health care law, ahead of major components of it going into effect next year.

Those provisions include the mandate that most individuals have Health Insurance, and the implementation of online exchanges where individuals can purchase insurance plans.

Schock and other House Republicans recently voted to delay the implementation the individual insurance mandate as part of the Affordable Care Act.
 

Scott Stuntz is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.