TANNER RESPONSE TO STATE OF THE UNION

WASHINGTON -- Congressman John Tanner made the following comments after President Bush’s State of the Union address.

On Iraq

“The American people have paid great costs – in terms of troop support, casualties and tax dollars – toward a goal that is increasingly impossible to obtain if the Iraqi people are unwilling or unable to set aside their religious differences to stabilize and secure their own country,” Tanner said. “We cannot put additional strain on our military men and women and their families if it remains unlikely we will be able to achieve full victory, which should be redefined as stability in that region.

“NATO has taken command of operations in Afghanistan fighting the war on terrorism, and the military leaders stationed there indicate they need more men and women as they continue fighting al Qaeda. I am truly concerned that our Armed Forces will be spread too thin if we send more troops to Iraq for a mission that is increasingly unachievable without political and diplomatic progress.”

Tanner, a veteran of the Navy and the Tennessee Army National Guard, serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairs the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the legislative branch of the NATO alliance. He helped introduce a new resolution that requires greater budget accountability of the war in Iraq and increased oversight to ensure private contractors are not profiteering from their involvement in the war and reconstruction in Iraq. 

On Budget Reform

“It is past time for this country to get back on the path toward a balanced budget,” Tanner said. “Congress has already taken positive steps: re-instating the common-sense ‘pay as you go’ rules that every household operates under but that had expired under the previous Congressional leadership; making the appropriations process more transparent; and improving its oversight of the Administration’s budgeting.

“The Government Accountability Office indicates 18 of 24 federal executive branch agencies cannot produce adequate audits of how they have spent tax money appropriated by Congress, and no one has been held accountable. The Administration, to be taken seriously, needs to work with Congress to determine responsibility for the fiscal mismanagement that has occurred."

Tanner is a founding member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which handles economic matters.

On Energy Independence

“I am encouraged by the President’s pledge to promote bio-fuels from agricultural products grown in Tennessee and across the country,” Tanner said. “Our future national and economic security relies on our ability to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. I look forward to working with the President to conserve our energy resources and increase the development of alternative fuels such as ethanol.”

Congressman Tanner has supported legislation encouraging the production of more renewable energy and new technology to make vehicles more fuel-efficient.

Tanner represents Tennessee’s 8^th congressional district in west and middle Tennessee.

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Contact: Randy Ford, 202.225.4714