Delegation Split Over Jobs Talk

WASHINGTON — Democrats in New Mexico’s congressional delegation cheered President Barack Obama’s call for more manufacturing jobs Tuesday, but the state’s lone Republican in Congress said Obama’s actions don’t match his rhetoric.

Rep. Mar tin Heinrich, D-N.M., said Obama’s call to rebuild American infrastructure and boost manufacturing and clean energy jobs can be good news for New Mexico.

“Those are things that would put New Mexico to work, and they are things we should be investing in,” Heinrich said after the speech.

But Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., said Obama killed the prospect of thousands of jobs just last week when he nixed a proposal to built the Keystone XL pipeline.

“He’s talking about American manufacturing at a time when he shut down the manufacturing for the Keystone pipeline,” Pearce said. “They’re laying those people off now. It’s hard to listen to his words when his actions are so much stronger.”

Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, both New Mexico Democrats, said the president struck a forceful case for his agenda, despite a tepid reaction from Republicans in the House chamber who largely oppose his agenda.

“I think it’s an agenda the American public generally agrees with,” Bingaman said. “I think there is a lot more consensus behind that agenda outside the Beltway than there probably is here in the Capitol.”

Udall said, “I thought it was an excellent speech – it showed the president in a mood to really fight for what he believes in. Job creation and job training seems to be a central focus of his.”

Monty Newman, chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, said the speech was full of “glittering generalities and hollow rhetoric.”

“It is abundantly clear that President Obama has given up on governing and used the State of the Union to stage a campaign stump speech,” Newman said in a statement.

Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., said Obama laid out a clear vision for America.

“His agenda recognizes the struggles the people in New Mexico continue to endure and the need for job creation right now, while investing in areas that will create long term economic growth to ensure that the United States truly remains the land of opportunity.”