Statement of Congressman Michael Michaud on the President's State of the Union Address

Statement of Congressman Michael Michaud on the President's State of the Union Address

The President mentioned several issues that I definitely agreed with tonight, like increasing the size of Pell Grants so more people can afford to go to college, getting the deficit back into balance, and getting health care coverage for more Americans. These are important priorities that I share.

The President also tried to make a case for radically changing the Social Security system. However, I strongly oppose privatizing Social Security.
The fact of the matter is, Social Security works. It is fully funded until the year 2052, and privatizing it would lead to cuts in benefits of up to
46 percent and cost $2 trillion. In the coming months, I plan to reintroduce my constitutional amendment in Congress to prevent any privatizing of the system and to preserve Social Security for future generations.

Our economy also clearly remains a huge challenge, especially in Maine, and I would have liked to hear the President offer more to address persistent job loss, especially in traditional manufacturing industries. We will not be able to do that until we address the harmful trade deals that have devastated many of our industries. We also need to be investing in our economy to create jobs, which is why I have proposed creating a regional economic development commission for the Northeast to invest $40 million per year in our region's infrastructure.

It is also vitally important that we care for our veterans in the way that they deserve. I applaud the President for making the commitment in his speech to giving our veterans the health benefits they need. However, his budgets in the past two years have proposed cuts in services, additional co-payments, and reduced funding for veterans' health care. As a member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Benefits, I will do all I can to ensure that our veterans receive the health care they deserve.

I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis in Congress to find solutions to the challenges that were discussed tonight.

http://michaud.house.gov/newsroom_details.asp?id=348