TANNER HOPES PRESIDENT WILL OFFER REAL PROPOSALS ON IRAQ, ECONOMY, BUDGET

Congressman Responds to State of Union Address

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. John Tanner said he hopes President Bush will follow his State of the Union address by taking steps to help Tennesseans recover in today’s economic climate and to pressure Iraqi leaders to take control of their own country.

“The Administration needs to be more forceful than it has in the past to get the Iraqi government to reach political reconciliation so we can move away from a military-only approach that is keeping our men and women in harm’s way,” Tanner said.

“It is also clear that the economic and fiscal policies enacted in 2001 have been disastrous for our country, resulting in an unprecedented amount of borrowing over the last 72 months and transferring a large portion of the U.S. tax revenue base from spending power to interest payments, much of which we are sending to foreign sources. As many of us have said for some time, to continue that level of fiscal irresponsibility represents an economic vulnerability and a national security concern. I hope the President will truly work with Congress to address these economic concerns before he leaves office.”

Congressman Tanner represents Tennessee’s 8^th District in West and Middle Tennessee. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Tennessee National Guard, he currently serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and as chairman of the U.S. delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

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Contact: Randy Ford, 202.225.4714