When Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, introduced Joe de la Cruz to congresspeople ahead of the State of the Union, their reaction was, “Of course you brought someone from manufacturing,” de la Cruz said. He met about 10 of Courtney’s colleagues in a post-dinner party hosted by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and that meant about 10 conversations on submarines.

De la Cruz, vice president of the Groton manufacturer Hillery Company and former state representative, was Courtney’s guest for President Joe Biden’s address.

Tuesday was a whirlwind day: He toured the Capitol Building with wife Tammy de la Cruz, sat in on a meeting Courtney had with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, went to Jeffries’ party, and watched the president’s speech.

“I wish every American could experience it, at least experience what I did, because I think they’d be less cynical about what happens in our country,” de la Cruz said Wednesday.

He also came back from 10 minutes talking to reporters in the afternoon to find that Tammy had met former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during that time, “one of her idols.”

Courtney said Biden’s early mention in his speech of the rebound in manufacturing jobs “definitely resonated, particularly with Joe as the guest, because we’re certainly seeing that intensely in the district.” De la Cruz also appreciated Biden’s announcement of new standards requiring all construction materials for federal infrastructure projects to be made in America.

Another topic near to de la Cruz’ heart is the opioid crisis: He and Tammy founded the nonprofit Community Speaks Out to provide education and resources to people impacted by drug and alcohol addiction.

Biden spoke about a State of the Union guest whose daughter died from a fentanyl overdose at age 20, and talked about an initiative to increase drug screening at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Courtney said there is no question fentanyl is coming in through the southern border, but that it’s coming on vehicles rather than through people piling up at ports of entry. He commented, “I have visited the border and seen the challenge that border patrol have in terms of screening trucks and cars that come through there.”

De la Cruz said “we have to secure the border and make sure the opiates and fentanyl is not coming across our border,” but that society also must dig deeper into why America has “this insatiable appetite for drugs.”

In more upbeat moments, de la Cruz stood up and whistled several times during the speech – until he “got really excited” and whistled louder, only to see a Secret Service agent and decide he should probably quiet down. (“The SOTU is 100% not ready for Joe de la Cruz,” Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, had tweeted earlier.)

De la Cruz could not bring in his phone. So, it wasn’t until after the speech that he saw a 7:59 p.m. text from Sen. Martha Marx, D-New London, who knows his habits well: “No whistling at State of the Union!! Enjoy! Love my Joes!”

Connecticut congressional delegation responds to speech

Courtney said other parts of the speech that resonated with him were Biden’s advocacy for giving teachers a raise and lowering insulin prices for everybody, beyond the $35 monthly cap the Inflation Reduction Act set for Medicare enrollees.

Courtney also appreciated Biden’s discussion of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that passed in 2021; Biden invoked the project to repair the Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River, which the president visited the same day Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in New London.

Asked what he thought of the president’s performance, Courtney said it was “noticeably energetic and feisty” and that Biden fed off the heckling rather than getting rattled by it.

Biden cited bipartisan work from the past two years ― such as the Electoral Count Reform Act, Respect for Marriage Act, and helping veterans exposed to toxic burn pits ― and said there’s no reason Democrats and Republicans can’t continue working together.

Courtney said he is “also the eternal optimist” and pointed to Thursday’s Armed Services Committee hearing on China as an example. The congressman said people thought it “was going to turn into a finger-pointing session on the spy balloon” but said it “actually ended up being a very sober and thoughtful discussion on ways that we can build and strengthen our alliances in the Pacific region.”

Courtney also thinks that addressing the skills gap is an issue that “really should be an easy one for both sides to come together,” considering there are 11 million job openings across the country.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, said in a video message after the State of the Union, “The words of that speech glowed with optimism, hope, energy, and the determination that we can finish the job in solving many of this nation’s problems.”

He said the signal to Ukraine was particularly important to him, because his three visits “confirmed to me that we need heightened support as the Russians begin their vicious attack now, this spring.” Blumenthal also said he was encouraged by Biden’s “support for stopping the poisonous effects of social media” on kids by holding Big Tech accountable.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Biden’s speech “was a reminder of just how impressive his first two years in office have been.” But Murphy said the president is right that “there’s a lot more we can do to cut costs, protect workers, and make sure wealthy corporations pay their fair share.”

He was glad to hear Biden talk about limiting non-compete agreements and call for passing an assault weapons ban.

Blumenthal brought as his guest Alex Plitsas, an Army veteran who helped Afghan refugees escape after the U.S. withdrawal of troops, while Murphy brought New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.