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<January 31, 2006>
Bordallo: President Emphasizes Security in State of the Union
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—January 31, 2006—Washington, D.C.— Today Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo joined members of the House of Representatives and the Senate along with Cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices, and the Diplomatic Corps for the President’s State of the Union address to the nation. Congresswoman Bordallo invited, as her guest, PFC Michael Paulino of Santa Rita. PFC Paulino observed the address from the gallery of the House chamber in the U.S. Capitol. The son of Mary Paulino of Santa Rita, PFC Paulino is married to Juana Duenas Paulino of Maite and has two children, Zachary, 11, and Zianna, 8. His wife, children, and mother joined him in Washington, D.C. for the occasion. PFC Paulino is a 1989 graduate of Oceanview High School. Congresswoman Bordallo invited PFC Paulino as her guest to the State of the Union address to honor his exemplary service to our country and because he represents the men and women of Guam who are serving in the United States Armed Forces. PFC Paulino, assigned to 396th Transportation Company, 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia returned from a one year combat tour of duty in Iraq on New Year’s Eve. “The President spoke for all Americans in honoring our nation’s Armed Forces, their resolve, and dedication to duty. It was an honor to share this moment with PFC Michael Paulino. He represents so many of our island’s sons and daughters who place duty, honor and country before themselves.” President Bush, as he has in many recent speeches, reiterated his resolve to gain full victory in Iraq and to ensure Iraqis have a stable and free democratic society before American troops are withdrawn. “I remain very supportive of our military and of our mission in Iraq. The President has laid out many goals for America in Iraq and I am hopeful he will go further in the future by giving us specific benchmarks that we must achieve in order to start bringing our troops home. We may not be able to sustain the burden at its current pace unendingly. In the meantime, I pledge to continue my strong support to ensure our fighting men and women have everything they need to protect themselves and to achieve victory.” The President proposed a bipartisan commission to review federal programs for seniors, including social security, Medicare and Medicaid. Congresswoman Bordallo stated that, “If Congress enacts legislation to create this commission, it will be an opportunity to address disparities in these programs in the territories. I will work to ensure that this bipartisan commission also reviews the issue of SSI (Supplemental Security Income), the Medicaid cap, and Medicare inequalities in the territories.” The President also announced what he termed an “American Competitiveness Initiative,” that he hopes will encourage innovation throughout our economy. The initiative spoke to America’s needs to advance our education, research and training institutions. “The President’s focus on a Competitiveness Initiative could not be a more appropriate theme for Guam. We are at the beginning of a new era of growth and prosperity that will include increased military presence, increased construction, new tourism and tremendous opportunities to advance Guam and our people. We must take to heart and plan our own Competitiveness Initiative to prepare Guam for this growth and ensure a strong future for our own island,” Congresswoman Bordallo stated. The President emphasized the need to improve math and science education in American schools. Bordallo said, "I firmly support the President's announced plan to improve the quality of the math and science education in public schools. I look forward to this challenge. Improving the quality of education our children receive will improve the quality of life they will lead." Congresswoman Bordallo was encouraged by the President's emphasis on the value, sanctity, and the need to protect human life. "Advances in science and technology do improve our lives. However, I remain concerned that the fine line between the miracle of life and the miracle of science is being blurred. Science has its mission. But that mission should not include tampering with God's gift of life," Bordallo said. President Bush did not comment on the upcoming release of the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) or hint at changes in the American military alignment that it may bring about. While the President noted increasing security concerns in our region, such as the threat North Korea poses, he focused on the War on Terror being waged in the Middle East. “While the President did not speak at length about the QDR or security threats in the Pacific, something I would have liked to see him do, I am confident that the upcoming release of the QDR will result in changes to address concerns in Asia that will result in additional utilization of Guam’s strategically located military bases.” Included within the President’s speech was extensive commentary on immigration reform. Congresswoman Bordallo has long been an advocate of common sense and needed reform of our broken immigration system. “I welcome the President’s comments that emphasized the need to repair our immigration system including creating a more workable guest worker program. On Guam, we face complex immigration issues every day. It is time for the federal government to reform our immigration system and deliver changes that provide to localities like Guam a system that is more responsive to local needs. Like the President, I believe that reform can deliver a system that makes America safe but permits travel, tourism and guest worker programs where they are appropriate.” Congresswoman Bordallo closed her comments saying, “It was appropriate that President Bush twice stopped to mark great American women. His marking the passing of Coretta Scott King and honoring of the remarkable career of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor both recognized these pioneering women’s lives and gave us a sense of how far women have come in our culture. I join him in honoring these women.” ### Contact: Alicia Chon in |
