Congressman Thomspon On The 2007 SOTU

CONGRESSMAN THOMPSON ON THE 2007 SOTU

Today, United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) released the following statement:

"The tax deduction being proposed by the President for health insurance will do nothing to make costly monthly health insurance premiums more affordable, while at the same time it is a tax hike for the middle class. Despite nearly two decades of reform initiatives, we still have yet to provide effective schools for millions of low-income and minority students. This is because public education policies have been organized to serve the needs of this Administration and not the students. Addressing our stunning achievement gaps, particularly those affecting minority students in our cities, means that students, not the system, must become the primary organizing principle for educational policies - and, more importantly, for schools themselves.

"With Democrats in the majority, we have already begun to show, not tell, of our commitment to making access to education a reality. In the first 100 hours of this Congress, Democrats passed a bill to cut interest rates on student loans. This significantly cuts the student debt burden of about 5 million students. But we are not going to stop there. We must increase funding for the Pell grant program and No Child Left Behind as well.

"We need a "truth surge" from the President and this Administration, rather than a troop surge. Until the President is willing to sit down with Congress and provide accurate data on what is really going on in this [Iraq] war, I cannot, in good conscience, support putting more of our men and women in harm's way. The President needs to present to Congress a plan of action on how to stabilize this situation and allow the Iraqi government to take the necessary steps towards security to improve the lives of the Iraqis."

http://benniethompson.house.gov/HoR/MS02/Newsroom/Press+Releases/2007/1-24-07+CONGRESSMAN+THOMPSON+ON+THE+2007+SOTU.htm