"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."