Statement on President Obama's State of the Union Speech

Statement

U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) issued the following statement tonight:

This year's State of the Union speech was special to me. It was my last as a Member of Congress because I will retire in January 2013. I have attended speeches from six different Presidents over my 36 year career.

I am proud of the way our keiki o ka aina President, Barack Obama, is making progress towards rebuilding the slowed economy he inherited and putting Americans back to work, although there is still much more to do.

I agree with the President that we must defend the American Dream by increasing fairness in the tax system and giving all Americans a chance to succeed.

I grew up in a modest family in Pauoa Valley. We kept our money in a box, and if we ran out we would not eat. But, I got a good education and had the opportunity to attend college on the GI Bill. I want today's youth to have similar opportunities to better their circumstances.

Some students spend years paying off loans, while millionaires and large corporations with tax shelters use loopholes to lower their tax rates. That's not right, and we must fix it. The President called it "common sense," and I agree. We cannot turn our backs on the uninsured or the consumers who were the victims of the financial crisis. Instead, we should build on the strides we have made for them. We will work to pass the tax cuts that our middle class families and small businesses need, and make the difficult decisions necessary to reign in our deficit spending.

I support the President's actions to put American ingenuity to work to make us a leader in clean, renewable energy, technology that reduces our need for imported oil, puts less pollution in the air we breathe, and creates American jobs that cannot be outsourced.

I strongly agree with the President's call to have us in Congress work together and find common ground. This has been one of the most partisan and dysfunctional Congresses of my career, but I remain hopeful that we can work together for the good of our country.

Tonight, President Obama laid out his framework to move the country forward. Congress must do its part to start building America's future now.

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