President Obama needled congressional Republicans over the cause of the recession during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, stating that blame lies with businesses rather than with beneficiaries of government programs.
“Food stamp recipients didn’t cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did,” Obama said, during a passage of his speech contrasting the differences between his agenda and that of Republicans.
“After years of record corporate profits, working families won’t get more opportunity or bigger paychecks by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at the expense of everyone else; or by allowing attacks on collective bargaining to go unanswered,” Obama also said, pitting workers and unions against energy and finance companies.
Obama also placed blame for slow wage growth on short-sighted corporate executives, dismissing the idea that immigration has pushed down U.S. wages.
In his last year as president, Obama said, he will “lift up” businesses that have “done right” by their employees.
