Simpson Reacts to State of the Union

Simpson Reacts to State of the Union

Washington, D.C. - Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson issued the following statement in response to President George W. Bush's State of the Union Address:

"President Bush tonight charted a path forward for our nation by addressing America's role in spreading peace abroad and prosperity at home," Simpson said.

"I join the President in acknowledging the accomplishments we are making in regards to the war on terror. When I visited Iraq and met with the Interim President he said, ‘We will know we are making significant progress when the people come to consider themselves as Iraqis first and Shi'ites and Sunnis second.' After the most recent elections, I watched interviews of citizens after they voted, when asked by a reporter, ‘Are you a Shi'ite or Sunni?' One woman boldly answered, ‘I am an Iraqi.' We are making a difference in the world."

"I join the President in paying tribute to our servicemen and women who are enduring tremendous sacrifices to secure our freedom," said Simpson. "I respect the President's determination and leadership to see this mission through and I encourage all Americans to support our troops and their families."

"The President could not be more right when he expressed the need for our country to become independent from foreign energy sources. I believe there are many ways to accomplish this goal. First, we must aggressively expand our nation's nuclear research and development programs. Second, we should encourage the construction of new ethanol plants. Finally, we need to accelerate hydrogen fuel technology. Together these will weaken the grip OPEC has on our economy and help our nation become energy independent."

"I'm also pleased that President Bush focused this speech on fiscal discipline and the need to keep our economic recovery on track. The tax cuts enacted early in the President's first term have helped fuel a resurgent economy, they need to be made permanent. I strongly believe that Congress needs to maintain fiscal discipline over the next year and continue the process of reforming entitlement spending which is growing at rates three or four times the rate of inflation. Like the President, I believe that rate of growth is simply unsustainable for our nation's taxpayers and economy."

"I was impressed by the President's willingness to address the outrageous growing price of health care by using innovative cost reduction tactics with the use of technology. Litigation reform will also prevent frivolous lawsuits from running up health care costs and I look forward to working with members of Congress to make these concepts a reality."

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/id02_simpson/sou_reaction.html