Rep. Young Encourages President Obama to Focus on Bipartisan Jobs Agenda at SOTU

Statement

In anticipation of President Obama's State of the Union address to the nation tomorrow night, Alaskan Congressman Don Young released the following statement detailing what he would like to hear from the President:

"Each year the State of the Union address is an opportunity for the President to lay out his legislative priorities and vision for the coming year. As President Obama begins his second term in office, it is my hope that he checks the campaign rhetoric at the door, and details to Congress an agenda filled with bipartisan ideas that will help get this country's economy back on track. He needs to step across party lines and show the American people that Washington can actually get things done.

"Early reports from the White House indicate that the President's speech will focus on jobs and the economy, and I encourage him to do so. In terms of job creation, the President Obama can look no further than curbing the steady stream of job-killing rules and regulations that have stifled America's small businesses. Simply cutting bureaucratic red tape is a low cost job creator that would get people back to work tomorrow.

"As a Member of Congress from a state blessed with an abundance of natural resources, I always pay close attention to any mention of energy and energy production. For the last four years Congress has heard about the President's call for an "All of the Above' energy plan, but history has proven otherwise. The resource development sector is a proven job creator, and I hope part of his job creation plan involves increased domestic production throughout the entire United States.

"On the issue of climate change, he should tread lightly. As American home heating and fuel prices at the pump continue to rise, any proposed climate change legislation would do nothing but harm the fragile state of an economy still recovering.

"Lastly, I encourage the President to explain to the American people the harmful affect the sequestration process, first suggested by the President himself, will have on the country. Sequestration will have many negative impacts on Alaska, where the Federal government makes up one-third of the state's economy. On average, Alaska receives approximately $10 billion annually, one-third of which is defense-related. If Sequestration is allowed to happen, the immediate Alaskan impact of just the first year will be devastating and base realignments and closures are a distinct possibility.

"As Alaska's lone representative to the House over the last 40 years, I have attended numerous State of the Union addresses. Hopefully this year, the President will put the election season politics and partisan ideas behind him, and provide a common sense agenda to the American people that will get this country headed in the right direction."

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