Dreier Praises President Bush's Commitment to
Economic Growth, Security

January 28, 2003

WASHINGTON - Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, made the following statement tonight regarding President Bush's State of the Union Address:

"President Bush demonstrated strong and focused leadership in his speech tonight. As he said, these are challenging times for our country. We've faced adversity before, and we have met the challenges confronting us. I am confident we will do so once again.

"In his speech, the President outlined key goals for the coming year. First and foremost, he spoke of the need for a stronger economy. As the President has said time and again, our economy is growing but not fast enough. We need to ensure every American that wants a job can get one. Growing the economy will also be critical to achieving the next two goals, strengthening and improving health care for Americans and winning the global war against terrorism. A strong economy will yield greater revenues for important priorities including education and a prescription drug benefit.

"We have made real progress in the war against terrorism, but more needs to be done. The ongoing fight to defend peace around the world may include a confrontation with Iraq. As the President said, Saddam Hussein has defied the United Nations for far too long. While no one wishes for war, we simply cannot sit by and allow our national security to be threatened.

"Many of the challenges we face today were not before us a year ago, when we were just a few months removed from the events of September 11th. But our determination has not waned since then. As we move forward as a nation, we must remain focused on the important goals laid out by our President tonight."