At the beginning of this year, Congress passed and the President signed into law a bipartisan economic stimulus package which provided tax rebates for working families, senior citizens and disabled veterans in the Fifth Congressional District and across the country.

I recently received a letter from a small business owner in Billerica. She and her husband have owned a landscaping and paving business for over forty years. They will soon be forced to close their doors due to the skyrocketing cost of oil. Sadly their story is not unusual.

Late last year, I joined Meals on Wheels in Lowell to deliver lunch on one of their normal routes. I was shocked when we pulled up to several homes in a seemingly comfortable community to deliver meals to people, many of whom were seniors, who simply could not afford to buy food.

On Monday evening, President Bush delivered his last State of the Union address. The speech offered a preview of his legislative agenda for his final year in office and provided an occasion for all Americans to reflect on the challenges we face this year and beyond, both domestically and abroad.

I recently had the privilege of visiting with our brave men and women serving in Iraq during a bipartisan Congressional delegation trip I took to the region. Over the course of this visit I also met with General David Petraeus, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, as well as with Iraqi civilian leaders. As a Member of Congress, and a member of the Armed Services Committee, I felt it was essential to meet first-hand with those most directly involved in the daily security operations, political negotiations, and rebuilding efforts in Iraq.

I have heard from people throughout the Merrimack Valley about the many legitimate concerns they have with our system of immigration including improving border security and cracking down on employers who hire undocumented workers. And, I share those concerns; the system of immigration is broken and I want to be part of the solution to fix it.