posted January 28, 2008
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), commenting on President Bush’s State of the Union address on Monday night, said, “The President laid out a broad agenda with a number of initiatives that should be pursued by Congress.
Sen. Corker said, “There’s no question we need to be serious about reining in wasteful spending and irresponsible earmarks, increasing our energy security by implementing policies that incentivize innovation and market-driven technology, and making health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans.
“While I am always happy to see Americans get refunds from the federal government, especially when so many of our citizens are struggling, I do have strong reservations about the economic stimulus package. I find something inappropriate about a deficit-ridden federal government borrowing money from our grandchildren and sprinkling it across the country for a short-term fix that will do little, if anything, to jump-start our troubled economy.”
Congressman Zach Wamp said, “Tonight marks President Bush’s final State of the Union address. My hope is that we can work together in Congress in a bipartisan manner to find solutions to some of the crucial problems facing our country outlined by the President in his speech. In particular, important issues that need to be addressed include finding a way to stimulate the struggling U.S. economy, permanently closing the loopholes in our intelligence laws, moving forward in Iraq and making sweeping reforms to the earmarking process in Congress.
“The economic stimulus package Congress will consider was designed to help put money back in the pockets of middle-class families and give businesses incentives to create new jobs. It is usually better for the American people to decide how to spend their hard-earned money than for the government to spend it. While the rebate approach may prove popular and ultimately pass, it will have very little long-term influence on the economy. Provisions like bonus depreciation and expensing for small business will spur employers to invest, leaving a positive economic impact. To boost the stimulus package, we might still have the opportunity to strengthen the credits or incentives for manufacturers doing business in the United States, as this is the bread and butter of economic growth.
“The United States is a key target for terrorist organizations around the world. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is set to expire on February 1, which will hamper the efforts of our intelligence community in tracking and monitoring terrorists. The Democrats proposed solution to this looming problem is to simply extend the program for another 30 days, even though they have had six months to work on a bipartisan way forward. FISA is too important and requires a permanent fix, not short-term patches to close the loopholes in our intelligence laws.
“The roughly 30,000 additional American troops that arrived in Iraq last year as part of the ‘surge’ have helped improve security in Baghdad. And now Iraq’s security force is playing an increasingly larger role in maintaining the country’s security. Because of this success, the military plans to start reducing the number of troops, though they will be careful not to undercut the progress made during the surge.
“The level of reform presented and adopted by the Congress so far has not convinced the public that things have changed in Washington. We need sweeping reforms on how earmarks are decided in authorization, appropriations, tax and tariff bills and administration requests. I worked with two of my colleagues to draft a resolution that takes a stand on comprehensive earmark reform and is supported by the House Republican leadership.
“This resolution calls for a bipartisan, bicameral, select committee to hold hearings and make recommendations for a reform of the earmark process in a comprehensive way. The resolution will place a complete moratorium on all earmarks – including ones put forward by the Administration – and establish a Joint Select Committee (JSC) on earmark reform. This moratorium would last until the JSC has completed a thorough examination of earmarking rules and practices and reported its recommendations. An important part of that review will be a series of public hearings where all sides of this debate will get the chance to voice their concerns about earmarking.”
Sen. Lamar Alexander said, “The President was right to commit to improving the economy and creating jobs, preventing terrorist attacks and controlling wasteful Washington spending.
"It’s time for Congress to roll up our sleeves and work together to ensure every American has access to quality, affordable health insurance. We should also commit ourselves to preserving America’s brainpower advantage to keep good-paying jobs from going overseas and ensure we remain competitive in the 21st century. There is no excuse for taking this election year off when there are so many important issues facing our country.
"The President is on the right track by recommending $300 million in scholarships to low-income families for children’s education. I have suggested similar efforts to give parents more choices in their children’s schooling since my time as Secretary of Education, and I am pleased that the President is supporting the ‘Pell Grants for Kids’ program.”
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