Congresswoman Barbara Lee Releases Statement On President Obama's State Of The Union Address To Congress

Statement

Tonight, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released this statement following President Barack Obama's State of the Union address to Congress.

"The President delivered a great speech tonight. Though our country faces significant problems and we have a long road to economic recovery, President Obama has accomplished a great deal in the last year, especially when you consider the horrific challenges he faced upon taking office.

"His bold decision to stay the course on issues such as comprehensive immigration reform, energy independence and education reform is exactly the kind of ambition we need during these trying times.

"As the President stated tonight the most paramount of these issues is jobs. So, we must address this issue head on. With unemployment at record levels -- particularly in communities of color, we must put in place concrete solutions that will help generate sustainable job creation. The utilization of small, minority and women-owned businesses will be critical to overall job growth - and the President's proposals reflect that fact.

"I agree with President Obama that we must address the deficit that he inherited, but I disagree over how we should do it. Instead of freezing non-defense discretionary spending, we need to focus on bloated unnecessary Pentagon spending and cost savings for ending the wars which have already cost us over $1 Trillion.

"Many of my colleagues and I are concerned about the impact of this freeze on jobs and the economy. At this critical time we should be doing more direct government investment to create more job opportunities.

"I am pleased that the President has decided to continue the fight for health care reform. We cannot allow the Republicans to derail health reform and deny 47 million Americans health insurance coverage. We must use whatever tools we have at our disposal to make good on the promises we made to the American people.

"Additionally, I applaud the President's decision to make global health as a critical component of our foreign policy.

"The President understands the real depths of this recession and its impact. I am pleased he focused those who have known poverty and the devastating impact this recession has had on them. We must work to implement goals of a resolution I've sponsored in Congress which would cut poverty in half over the next decade.

"His decision to repeal the current Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and allow gay and lesbian service members to serve openly is a monumental step forward for LGBT equality.

"I continue to respectfully disagree with the President's decision to implement yet another costly and counterproductive escalation of troops in Afghanistan. We need an exit strategy and a timeline for the complete withdrawal of United States troops and military contractors from Afghanistan and must develop a more comprehensive strategy to address our national security interests.

"While we face many challenges, I remain optimistic that we can begin to address the pain and suffering that the American people have endured for far too long.

"The American people voted for change. We have a responsibility to help govern rather than simply block all progress for the American people as the Republicans have since President Obama took office. It is our moral obligation as Members of Congress to continue to fight on behalf our constituents and our country so that they can achieve the "American Dream.'"

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