| Clyburn Response to the State of the Union
January 23 , 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kristie Greco : (202) 226-3210
WASHINGTON, DC—House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn today responded to the State of the Union address delivered by President Bush:
“I’m pleased the president recognized the change in the political climate tonight. We cannot adequately meet the needs of the American people if we are not realistic about the world in which we live and the challenges we face.
“The American people spoke loudly and clearly in November that they wanted an end to the ethically-challenged, rubber stamp, do-nothing Congress. The Democrats responded immediately with our widely bipartisan 100 Hours agenda. We plan to continue in the vein of bipartisanship and civility, and we welcome the president’s commitment in that venture.
“The president addressed some of the largest challenges tonight, such as energy independence. Any viable energy plan for the future must include three things: one, it must reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil and therefore the threat to our national security; two it must take steps to protect our environment; and three, it must create new economies by relying on home-grown, American-owned biofuel energy. We cannot simply conserve our way out of this problem, it must take a comprehensive approach; one that starts in the fields of our heartland.
“We face a crisis in healthcare, with more than 47 million uninsured Americans in this country. I believe the president’s proposal to address the issue through the tax code shifts the burden of coverage from employers to employees and does nothing to help low income Americans who don’t pay taxes, cannot afford high insurance premiums and can’t make use of the tax cut. We need to begin a discussion about providing affordable, accessible coverage for all Americans.
“Finally, perhaps our greatest challenge, and the one that weighs heavily on my conscience, is the war in Iraq. The president has put forward a plan to ask for more sacrifice of our troops and resources to escalate the war, a plan we have tried several times before, with little lasting success. Democrats believe the impacts on our military readiness and troop and family morale are too great, and we will hold the president’s plan up for a vote in the Congress. I believe the body’s response will reflect the sentiments of the American people—focus on training and readying Iraqi forces so we can redeploy our troops to fight the larger war against terrorism.
“I often reflect on the book of James, which tells us it is not enough to tell those in need to go in faith. He reminds us that ‘faith without works is dead.’ We must go beyond rhetoric this Congress and deliver for the American people. I’ll be watching closely in the coming months to see if the president’s words match his deeds.”
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