Members of the Southern Arizona congressional delegation โ two Democrats and one Republican โ broughtย back mixed messages from President Donald Trump's first State of the Union speech last night.
Rep. Martha McSally said the speech before Congress set an optimistic tone and gave the President a chance to speak directly to the American people about his accomplishments in his first year in office.
The two-term Tucson Republican said Trump offered leadership to a divided Congress on how to address issues ranging from the opioid crisis to bolstering the military.
"I was thinking there is some topic there that everyone can relate to," she said. "Whether people like the President or don't like the President, I think what he laid out today hopefully people can see beyond that and see that this is the America that they are proud of and this is the America that they want to be part of in the future where there is opportunity for everyone."
McSally had a message for Democrats as well, saying Congress should work together in the coming year.
"I would encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to find something in that speech that they agree with and then pour yourself into being constructive to work with us in the majority and work with the President in order to get it done for the people we represent," she said.
Tucson Democrat Raul Grijalva said the speech President Trump gave on Tuesday night was subdued version of the speeches he gave on the campaign trail in 2016, scripted for a more general audience.
He was more critical of the issue of the President's tone when he discussed federal immigration policies.
"On the issue of immigration, which is delicate and difficult and often divisive, what did he do? He equated the DREAMers and immigrants with the horror that MS13 has brought to those families and their children," Grijalva said.
The Tucson Democrat also chided the President for taking credit for the accomplishments of his predecessor - Barack Obama. Specifically, the economy.
"He can't take credit for that," he said. "We haven't seen the consequences of those tax cuts and what they are going to mean a year from now or even less to people and the families."
Rep Tom O'Halleran said he had hoped to see President Trump lead by example on Tuesday night, noting that he was short on specifics.
For example, he said, there were no details on estimated $1.5 billion package on addressing critical infrastructure programs.
"This all costs money," O'Halleran said.
The Flagstaff Democrat said he was concerned that Trump was signaling that state and local governments would be asked to provide matching funds, something that Arizona simply doesn't have.
O'Halleran was also disappointed that Trump failed to address the issue of DREAMers in his speech, saying that an overwhelming majority of Americans want to see the problem addressed immediately.
