Rep. Valadao Responds to President's State of the Union Address

Statement

U.S. Rep. David G. Valadao made the following statement after the President's State of the Union Address Tuesday night:

"We must not lose site of the greatest challenge facing the American people and my constituents; a stagnant economy and chronic unemployment.

Americans are suffering from 7.9% unemployment; nearly 14% of my constituents are out of work and the President wants to increase taxes on every American. Higher tax rates will slow economic growth and prevent the creation of more jobs for Americans across the country. To make matters worse, the Central Valley continues to face a man-made drought because of the Endangered Species Act that puts the well-being of fish above people. The Administration and Congress must act quickly to ensure farmers and cities have a reliable, clean water supply.

My top priority in Congress is to support policies that encourage business and create jobs. This can be achieved by putting Washington on a budget and reducing burdensome federal regulations-- not by raising taxes on the American family. With sequestration only weeks away, Members of Congress, regardless of political party, must come together to do what's best for our nation.

While the President and I may disagree on specific policies to get Americans back to work, we do agree on the importance of reforming our immigration system. As the son of immigrants, immigration reform is close to my heart. For too long, the immigration debate has been dominated by extremes on both sides of the aisle.

The first step in comprehensive immigration reform is ensuring realistic and responsible path to earned legal status. Many industries in California's 21st Congressional District rely on immigrant labor, developing a guest worker program that allows access to a reliable workforce is crucial.

Reforming our nation's immigration system is a massive undertaking and one that should be examined carefully on every level. Republicans and Democrats must continue to search for common ground in order to repair our broken system.

I look forward to working with the President and other Members of Congress to improve our economy and move our country forward."

Watch Congressman Valadao's statement at: http://youtu.be/mpoeXgN_Ocw.

Source