Griffith's Statement On State Of The Union

Press Release

Dr. Parker Griffith released the following statement in reaction to President Obama's first State of the Union Address.

"While the Administration's decision for discretionary spending was a move in the right direction -- a freeze is not enough," said Griffith. "Americans recently have experienced the biggest recession in the history of our country, and job losses have been huge. Since our economic crisis began in December of 2007, Alabama's unemployment rate has skyrocketed from 3.8 percent to 10.5 percent. It is clear that the stimulus has not worked to our advantage.
"I was glad to know that the President wants to address jobs, but am not clear how his jobs bill will work with a cap and trade bill. Since January of 2009, Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leaders have unveiled one job-killing proposal after another, like a national energy tax and a government takeover of health care. Our country needs to return to the basics of making jobs-- and doing it without building our deficit.

"I was also surprised to hear that the President was still going to pursue his government health care plan. After months of hearing the public's disapproval of the plan, it is evident this current health care bill is not the solution to the problem, but rather the wrong prescription for America. Congress has been spending so much time on the health care bill that it has taken us off the subject of health care reform.
"We need to listen to the American public -- and from the speech I heard last night, I am unsure the President and his Administration have done this."

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