Congressman Bera Comments on 2014 State of the Union Address

Statement

Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. made the following statement following President Obama's 2014 State of the Union address to Congress:

"In tonight's State of the Union, the President laid out his plan for a year of action. I agree that this should be a year of action, but in order to do that we also need a government of collaboration. The current state of our union may be one of division, but I firmly believe that is doesn't have to be that way. I'm fighting every day to put people ahead of politics, and to make government work for the people of Sacramento County.

I wore an orange pin tonight identifying myself as a No Labels' Problem Solver, one of a group of more than 70 Members from both parties working across the aisle to build trust and find common ground. We've signed on to the No Labels campaign to create a national strategic agenda--to develop and agree to goals first that clearly lay out where we need to go as a nation.

We must work together to address our country's most pressing challenges. Key among them is expanding opportunity and restoring an economy that works for middle class families. We can do that by investing in infrastructure, innovation, and education. In Sacramento, that means we especially need to rebuild our levees and finish the Folsom Dam Project. That will not only create jobs, it will keep our community safe.

It was an honor to have local veteran and wounded warrior Matthew Ceccato as my guest tonight. He exemplifies service and dedication in everything he does. After serving two tours in Iraq, he now works tirelessly to improve the lives of veterans in our community. I was glad the President reaffirmed this country's commitment to our veterans. As we draw down in Afghanistan and more vets come home, we must honor the promises we've made to them and make sure they get the health care, education, and job training they need and deserve."

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