Boozman on the State of the Union

Boozman on the State of the Union

U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-AR) today released the following on the State of the Union Address by President George W. Bush:

On the State of the Union:
"I join with the President in his declaration that the Union is strong, while acknowledging there is hard work ahead of us to further secure a peaceful and prosperous nation."

"The President laid out an aggressive and ambitious plan to a spread opportunity and hope across America. It is important that both the President and the Congress do what is needed to come together to do the work of the American people."

On Iraq:
"The President framed the importance Iraq in the context of the greater Global War on Terror. While I agree with the importance of success in Iraq, I do think a bipartisan Congress needs to hold the administration accountable to ensure we are making progress toward bringing our troops home. As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, I look forward to helping craft policy which will assist the Administration reach this goal.

Furthermore, I continue to call on Speaker Pelosi to back a Republican plan to create a bipartisan Iraq oversight committee to lay out benchmarks of success and report progress to Congress. While I support more working together between each branch, we must remember that there is only one Commander-in-Chief and ultimately, failure is not an option."

On Health Care:
"I praise the President's plan to make healthcare more affordable for nearly 100 million Americans. Giving the same health care-related tax breaks to all Americans is fair and equal thing to do. This plan is an important step toward guaranteeing affordable insurance for all.

"As a medical practitioner, I know health insurance is not a partisan issue. Those who would argue against this plan, in my view, are more focused on dividing Americans rather than helping the millions who will benefit from more affordable insurance."

On Illegal Immigration:
"Before any plan, or debate, to reform immigration is offered, we must secure the nation's borders. While I aggress with the President that we must have a serious discussion about illegal immigration, I remain opposed to any effort to grant blanket amnesty to those who are in the United States illegally."

On Bipartisanship:
"Starting this moment, we all have the opportunity to move forward in a bipartisan manner to work on the important issues the American people sent us here for.

"We must move past the partisanship of the election and the 100 Hours, and seize this chance to truly build a relationship between the White House and the Congress, Democrat and Republican, so that we can create common-sense solutions which benefit everyone."

On Fiscal Responsibility:
"I have voted several times for reforming the earmark process in the House. I am pleased the President has asked Congress to continue the process to stop wasting billions in taxpayer dollars on unnecessary earmarks.

We are halfway to cutting the deficit, and we have done that three years ahead of schedule. I will support all plans to build on the economic policies which have resulted in increased wages, millions of new jobs, and low unemployment.

On Energy Independence:
"The President has laid out an ambitious plan toward energy independence. The 20 in 10 plan is bold, and calls on all Americans to join together to make it a reality. We must reduce our use of foreign oil and boost our domestic production while we transition to alternative fuel sources.

I join the President in calling for less gasoline consumption by requiring better fuel-efficiency from car makers, and focusing more creation of domestic ethanol and biodiesel, thereby making the country more secure."

On No Child Left Behind:
"As a former school board member, I know the importance of preparing children for the future. Holding teachers to higher standards, and giving parents the option to transfer out of failing schools will give children the opportunity to succeed in the future.

I strongly support the President's call to renew the No Child Left Behind Act, as it has led to millions of children becoming better prepared and closing the achievement gap experienced my minority students."

http://www.boozman.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=56107