FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
January 20, 2004
Contact:  Adrienne Elrod
(202) 225-3772
 

Ross Statement Regarding State of the Union Address
 
(Washington, D.C.) Fourth District Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) issued the following statement Tuesday night in response to the President's State of the Union Address:  

“I do not believe the President’s priorities for 2004 reflect the priorities of America’s children, working families, and seniors. Our economy is suffering, and America’s working families are struggling more and more every day to make ends meet. At a time when 8.4 million Americans are out of work, our country is $7 trillion in debt, and we are spending a billion dollars a week in Iraq with no end in sight, we must prioritize our spending -- not treat our federal budget like a credit card with no spending limit. 

"I have long believed that we must restore fiscal responsibility to our government, and the President has severely neglected to do this. In 2001, at a time when our country was running a budget surplus, I supported the President‘s tax cut.  However, since then while our Nation has suffered the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our people, fought  two wars, lost 3 million jobs, and experienced its largest budget deficit ever, the Administration has continued to enact reckless tax cuts that have had dire consequences on our economy. The combination of large budget deficits and large trade deficits, are having severe impacts, and causing huge threats, to our economy and our working families. 

“Tonight the President proposed a new job-training program that, he says, will prepare Americans for the growing number of technology-sector jobs. I look forward to seeing his plan. But again, the Administration must deliver on its promise. We cannot play games with America’s working families. This Administration has continued to try to spin its losing record on jobs into something positive, when the reality is, America has lost 3 million jobs in the past three years, including a million jobs to China.  And in Arkansas, we’ve lost 31,000 manufacturing jobs since this Administration came to power, and have seen some of the highest unemployment rates in a decade. 

“There is no question our world has changed since September 11. While I supported the President's request to authorize force in Iraq nearly a year ago, I did so with the understanding -- and trust -- from the Administration that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction, and the President would enlist the help of other countries if Congress authorized force. But that has not been the case. As a result, 500 American men and women in uniform to date have lost their lives.

“The President said tonight that the ‘work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right.  And America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right.’ While that is true, we must also take care of the problems we have here at home. We are spending billions and billions of dollars "reconstructing" a nation while we continue to have so many pressing needs here at home.  If we can provide every Iraqi citizen health care, we should do the same thing for the 44 million Americans who lack health insurance in our own country. The President needs to push for investments in America, not Iraq." 
 
"The fact is, America is worse off today than it was a year ago.  I am confident our country can, and will, re-emerge and prosper again. But to do so, our priorities must reflect the needs of working families, not those of the special interests. Congress and the Administration must work together in a bipartisan manner to implement meaningful policies and solutions that provide real benefits to America's working families."


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