Washington, DC, Jan 28 -

In response to President Bush's speech on the State of the Union, Menomonee Falls Representative Jim Sensenbrenner issued the following statement:

“Keeping in mind that the President just delivered his last State of the Union speech, I was struck by the fact that he didn’t dwell on the past, but rather, outlined a roadmap for Americans for the rest of the year, and indeed, for well beyond that.

“As a conservative, I appreciated the undercurrent theme of trusting and empowering the American people.  This is one of the tenets of the Republican Party, and we have seen little of it, particularly over the past year, under the new leadership in Congress.  One way to get back to our roots is through earmark reform, a point on which I concur with the President.  It is an irresponsible use of taxpayer money to fund Alaskan ‘bridges to nowhere’ or build nostalgic museums in New York to celebrate Woodstock.  Congress has gotten out of hand with doling money to Members in the form of pork-barrel projects, and this abusive practice needs to end.

“Moreover, as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, I was pleased to hear the President talk about an international agreement that provides a level playing field for the entire world.  Unlike the Kyoto Treaty, which stacked the decks for countries like India and China, there can be no free ride for climate change, because ultimately, when it comes to the regulation of greenhouse gases, we all share the planet and breathe the same air.

“However, my years of experience in federal service have taught me that the devil is always in the details.  If today’s speech is a roadmap, then the next few weeks and months will provide us with the street names and signs to guide us to the final destination.  And if the paths aren’t clearly marked, then the map is useless.”

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