Statement of the Hon. Rosa L. DeLauro: President's State of the Union Address

Statement of the Hon. Rosa L. DeLauro President's State of the Union Address

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) released the following statement on President Bush's State of the Union address tonight.

"This evening, President Bush spoke to a nation deeply skeptical of his ability to lead the country on issue after issue - from Iraq to health care to energy independence. Indeed, the American people want a new direction in so many areas - tonight was the president's chance to show that he had heard them and is ready and willing to work with Congress.

"On no issue was that more important than our involvement in Iraq , which has grown deeper and more misguided with each passing day. As before, President Bush spoke about Iraq and how high the stakes are. But increasingly, the American people have concluded this war was a mistake, that the president's mismanagement of its prosecution has failed our brave troops there, and that his plan to escalate the war over the objections of his own generals and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group will only deepen those mistakes.

"Congress will always put the security of our troops first - but doing so means holding the president accountable for a change of course, not escalating our involvement there. The time has come to pursue an aggressive diplomatic strategy, both within Iraq and throughout the entire region, so that we can begin redeploying our forces. After more than three years and 3,050 lives lost in Iraq , that is how we can best help the Iraqis achieve stability for their country and greater security for ours.

" Iraq is hardly the only issue on which the president needs to listen. A year ago, President Bush announced with great fanfare America was "addicted to oil" - but his call tonight to cut American gasoline consumption by 20 percent over the next decade is woefully inadequate. Indeed, it took Democrats taking control of Congress to reclaim $14 billion in unnecessary big oil subsidies for the taxpayer to begin breaking that addiction. We will need similarly bold action toward reducing skyrocketing health care costs. Unfortunately, the proposal the president unveiled tonight will do little more than shift an increasing share of health care costs onto working Americans, leaving 47 million uninsured Americans to fend for themselves.

"In so many ways, this ought to be a moment for reconciliation. After six years, the American people are desperate for honest leadership that brings our country together to tackle the big issues. Whether it is Iraq , energy, college tuition or rising deficits, government has serious business to tend to - something the president acknowledged this evening. But it is over the course of the next few weeks and months that we will find out whether the President Bush is as serious about working with the Congress to complete that business as we are with him. For the sake of the nation I hope he is. "

"I will work with Democrats and Republicans and the president to make sure we do the right thing. I am hopeful that we can do the people's work. I hope the president will join us."

http://www.house.gov/delauro/press/2007/January/SOTU_01_23_07.html