(Washington, D.C.) Fourth District Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) issued
the following statement Wednesday night in response to the President's
State of the Union Address:
"Tonight, President Bush presented his annual State of the Union Address
to the American people. For years, the State of the Union has given the
President the opportunity to present his analysis of the current state
of our nation, the direction we are headed, and what steps and actions
we should take to accomplish our goals.
"But just as important, the State of the Union is an opportunity for
the American people to decide whether they believe the President's goals
for our nation and methods for achieving them reflect their own beliefs.
"The President dedicated a large portion of his speech tonight discussing
Social Security reform. There is no question the need to reform Social
Security is one of the greatest challenges we face this decade. But Social
Security faces a challenge - not a crisis. Any change we make to Social
Security must be fiscally responsible, and not cut benefits.
"Unfortunately, the President wants to privatize portions of Social
Security, which is too risky, unaffordable, and simply not necessary. Not
only would privatizing accounts slash future benefits for beneficiaries
across the board, but the President's plan would divert two trillion dollars
from Social Security over the next decade, making the long-term financial
challenge worse, not better.
"Social Security is a long-term challenge, and we must make sure the
right adjustments are made to ensure that monies paid into Social Security
are fully there for all future generations.
"Under the President's watch, we've seen record surpluses turn to record
deficits. The President said tonight that, 'America's prosperity requires
restraining the spending appetite of the federal government.' He also said
he wants to cut the deficit in half by 2009. I am hopeful that he will
succeed in cutting the deficit, and as a leading Member of the fiscally-conservative
Blue Dog Coalition, I will do all I can to aid him in these efforts.
"The President also addressed the situation in Iraq. I know I can speak
on behalf of all Americans in saying how incredibly proud we are for the
sacrifices our brave men and women in uniform have made to protect our
homeland and who made Sunday's election possible, and we salute the Iraqi
people for their courage in turning out to vote. But unfortunately, the
President did not offer a solid plan for getting our troops out of Iraq.
The American people want to know - and deserve to know - what is next.
"Finally, I am very glad the President encouraged Congress tonight to
pass a real energy plan. The President said tonight that passing a real
energy plan that will truly reduce the high-cost of gasoline, diesel fuel
and natural gas, while encouraging the continued research and development
of alternative fuel sources, is vital to our nation's economy, and I agree
with him. As a Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee - the
committee that has jurisdiction over the Energy Bill -- I look forward
to working closely on passing an energy bill that addresses our energy
needs.
"Regardless of the varied viewpoints, the bottom line is, Congress and
the President will get nothing accomplished if we don't put our partisan
differences aside and work together. I look forward to working with his
Administration and my colleagues in Congress to accomplish what we were
elected to do - to address and find workable solutions to the real problems
facing our nation today." |