Reacts to State of the Union Address

Press Release

Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) attended President Bush's final State of the Union address. Despite the nation's struggling economy, a continuing war in Iraq, and the many other great challenges facing our nation, the President's speech included few new ideas for solving the nation's pressing needs. The 110th Congress has moved to face the nation's significant challenges in a divisive political environment.

"The president really didn't bring anything new to the table in his speech despite the many challenges facing our nation," said Davis. "Most of his State of the Union address was used to justify the war in Iraq, while not even addressing Afghanistan. It was also disappointing that he mentioned housing only once in his speech and that was to say that the market was in decline. With San Diego experiencing record foreclosures, I'm sure many Americans would have liked to know how his Administration plans to address the crisis."

The State of the Union did address Americans' economic anxiety. Democrats worked in a bipartisan way in the House and with the President to fashion a bipartisan economic stimulus package that will be voted on in the House of Representatives.

"The bipartisan economic stimulus plan will provide some relief to the families who need it most and demonstrate that we can work together to achieve common goals," added Davis. "I hope the parties can continue to work together in the future."

The President's speech included a belated call for reform of the earmark process. The current Congress has led the way in bringing transparency and accountability to earmarks. Additionally, Democrats have already made significant reductions in the amount of earmarks.

"It's good to see the President following the lead of Congress on the issue of earmark reform," said Davis. "There's more that can be done and we look forward to working with the White House to shine more light on earmarks requested by the President and Congress."

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