WASHINGTON – Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) issued the following statement in reaction to President Bush’s State of the Union Address:

     “This past November, the American people overwhelmingly voted for change.  Congress is moving forward to implement changes that matter to the American people.  In our first 100 legislative hours, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the toughest House ethics package in history.  We passed legislation to implement the recommendations of the bipartisan 9-11 Commission.  We passed a bill to reduce the price of prescription drugs for America’s seniors.  We voted to raise the minimum wage and to cut in half interest rates on federally subsidized student loans.  We voted to roll back subsidies and tax breaks for big oil corporations and steer that money towards expanding renewable and alternative energy.

     “By contrast, I am afraid the President’s rhetoric tonight was more of the same.  While I was pleased that the President talked about tackling domestic issues, he cannot gloss over the issue of Iraq, which is the proverbial elephant in the room.  The President’s current policy is costing $300 million a day, making it difficult, if not impossible, to tackle many of the domestic problems the President discussed tonight.  More importantly, the war in Iraq is draining our most precious national resource: our young people.   To date, over 3,000 Americans have died in Iraq and 119 of these brave young men and women were from Michigan.

     “The President’s plan to escalate the war by sending 20,000 additional troops to Iraq is not a solution.  There have already been two so-called troop ‘surges’ since June and neither of them achieved the desired result of a stable, self sufficient Iraqi government.  Just yesterday, 137 Iraqis were killed or found dead across Iraq.  Clearly, the President does not understand that his policy on Iraq has been a failure.

     “President Bush has a history of making promises during his State of the Union speeches, but he does not always keep them.  In every single previous State of the Union Address he has given, President Bush has promised to address energy prices and energy independence, yet we are more dependent on foreign oil today than ever before.  If the President is serious about addressing energy issues, he should work with Congress to enact the House legislation that would reduce tax breaks to oil companies and invest the money in clean, renewable energy. 

     “I also have serious reservations about the President’s plan to shift the costs of health care onto working Americans.  As I understand the President’s health insurance proposal, it will be a tax on health care benefits and working families.  Under this Administration, the nation’s health care costs and number of uninsured have skyrocketed.  I fear the President’s proposal tonight is another step in the wrong direction.”