AUSTIN, Texas — President Joe Biden's second State of the Union Address resulted in mixed reactions from politicians.
Some lawmakers described President Biden's speech as a "disconnect from reality," while others saw the speech as a "celebration of American persistence in the middle of many challenges."
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) applauded President Biden for wanting to expand Medicaid. In a tweet following the address, Doggett stated that he was "so pleased with this presidential support to get health care to two million Texans denied Medicaid by Republicans."
A report from the Texas Comptroller's Office shows that Texas has the highest rate of uninsured people in the United States, with 18.4% of the population uninsured.
Doggett also tweeted about last week's winter storm in Texas and how he appreciates what the president is doing to address climate action and clean energy.
As for Texas Republicans, some expressed dissatisfaction over the president's handling of one of their top priorities: the border. During the annual address, it took President Biden almost an hour to bring up the topics of the border or immigration, according to the Texas Tribune.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said the president refused to take responsibility for the failures of his administration, including inflation, crime and "chaos at the southern border."
"He had the gall to say, quote, 'support my plan to secure the southern border,'" Cruz said. "When it's his policies that have created open borders and have resulted in the worst illegal immigration in our nation's history and the most overdoses in our nation's history. "
Cruz said this speech could have been an opportunity for the president to reach out to the Republican majority.
"Joe Biden indicated he doesn't care what the American voters think," Cruz said. "He's going to double down on failed policies despite the harm they're causing. This was a disappointing speech. It was an angry speech. It was a divisive speech."