WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement tonight after President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address: “As President Obama indicated, our economy today is much stronger than it was six years ago. The bad news, however, is that millions of middle-class families continue to struggle economically and we have an obscene level of income and wealth inequality. “I support many of the initiatives the president outlined. His plan to make the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes in order to reduce the rising cost of college and childcare moves us in the right direction. I look forward to working with the administration to adopt a tax system that eliminates unfair tax loopholes that only benefit the wealthiest people and largest corporations. We must also work to increase the take-home pay of working Americans. I agree with the president that we should invest in our crumbling infrastructure, raise the minimum wage, establish pay equity for women workers and end the absurdity of millions of Americans working 50- to 60-hours-a-week without any overtime pay. “As the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, I look forward to working with the president and my colleagues in the Senate to expand the middle class, strengthen Social Security and create decent-paying jobs.”