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WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) issued the following statement in response to President Bush’s final State of the Union address Monday night:
“The President’s State of the Union address touched on some of the most important challenges facing the country. But I believe we can do better than the proposals the President outlined. President Bush has come before Congress every year expressing a willingness to work with members on both sides of the aisle to move the country forward. Year after year that pledge turns out to be empty rhetoric. I hope that in his final year in office the President is finally serious about bipartisan cooperation.”
ECONOMY
“The President measures economic progress by the ups and downs of the stock markets. Most Michiganders don’t see it that way. They would, however, consider having a decent paying job with benefits to be an economic turnaround. Despite promises to the contrary, the President’s economic policies fail to address the underlying issues of rising energy and health care costs.
“Nothing the President proposed tonight would provide economic relief for the majority of seniors. The proposed economic stimulus package doesn’t help them and making the Bush tax cuts permanent certainly doesn’t. We can’t truly address economic relief without providing for America’s seniors.
TRADE
“Instead of calling for increased job training, tax credits for business expansion or critical unemployment assistance, the President tonight said the answer is more so-called free trade agreements. Michigan and other manufacturing states are suffering as a result of the President’s failed trade policies and his administration’s unwillingness to enforce the agreements we have. Before Congress considers another trade agreement we should demand fair enforcement of the ones we have.
IMPORT SAFETY
“I was disappointed to see that with 378 product recalls issued last year on everything from peanut butter to pet food to toys, the President failed to address the critical issue of import product safety and FDA reform. As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I will continue to do my part to bring transparency and accountability to the federal agencies responsible for protecting the products coming into this country. This is especially important as the President talks of new trade agreements and opening our borders to an even greater number of foreign products.
ENERGY
“In every State of the Union address he has given, President Bush has promised to address energy prices and energy independence. The President’s actions over the past seven years show no indication he is committed to this goal. The American people need real relief from high energy costs that are making it more expensive to gas up the car, heat their home and put food on the table. Tax breaks for big oil are not the answer. Energy independence won’t happen overnight. That’s why we need to invest now in the technologies that will provide the clean energy of tomorrow.
EARMARKS
“I agree with the President that greater transparency is needed in federal spending. But his call for an arbitrary reduction in the cost and number of earmarks irresponsibly puts decisions on how federal tax dollars are spent in the hands of unaccountable bureaucrats rather than elected officials.
“It is a bit hypocritical that this President, who has nearly doubled the federal debt ceiling during his presidency and turned four straight years of budget surpluses into a projected $477 billion budget deficit, is taking this opportunity to put his foot down on spending. And let’s not forget that it is the President, not any member of Congress, who is responsible for most earmarks. I agree that we must look at the legitimacy of each earmark. But the larger problem when it comes to federal spending is a war that has cost $670 billion to date, with no end in sight, and a Republican-controlled Congress that pushed billions in government handouts to big business.
IRAQ
“Our troops have done an exceptional job under difficult and trying circumstances. Unfortunately, the commitment of our men and women in uniform has not been matched by the Iraqi government. The sacrifice of our troops, their families and our treasury without clearly defined military and diplomatic goals is unacceptable. The country cannot afford to stay the course of the President’s Iraq policies.
“In 2007, 957 American troops were killed in Iraq. The highest single-year total since the war started. How can the surge be working if nearly 1,000 troops were killed last year and the Iraqi government remains politically polarized? Despite the continued failure of the administration’s Iraq policy, the President refuses to outline a realistic exit strategy. We owe our troops more than an open-ended commitment to war in Iraq. It is time to change direction in Iraq and allow for a responsible and swift redeployment of U.S. troops.
“It is naïve for the President to think we can accomplish much of what he outlined tonight while at the same time pouring $300 million a day into a war that has cost more than $670 billion since it started.”
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NOTE: An MP3 radio actuality is available for this release. Contact Nick Choate at 202-225-4735 or nick.choate@mail.house.gov. |
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