Jan. 24, 2007
 
Reaction of Sen. Jay Rockefeller to President's 2007 State of the Union Address
 
By HNN Staff, from Jay Rockefeller press release
 
Washington, DC (HNN) -- The following is Senator Jay Rockefeller’s (D-WV) reaction to President Bush’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, Jan. 23, 2007.
 
“As in previous years, the President’s speech was full of optimism and ideas, but the real test will be whether he follows through with action.
 
“We continue to be faced with many great challenges – from health care to energy dependence to an escalating war. Meeting these challenges, and crafting solutions, is a difficult task that can only be accomplished through genuine bipartisanship and coordination with Congress.
 
“I hope that the President is serious about putting our differences aside, and to working together to meet the needs of American families.”
 
HEALTH CARE
 
“The America people have demanded a real solution to the problem of the uninsured. Unfortunately, the President has once again ignored the needs of hard-working families and instead proposed tax incentives for health care that will do nothing to guarantee a single uninsured person access to coverage.
 
“What this proposal will do, however, is create instability in the employer-based system where nearly 60 percent of Americans – 175 million people – receive their health care coverage. Under the President’s plan, working families will be taxed for receiving comprehensive benefits that allow them to take care of a sick child, care for an ailing parent, or recover from cancer or any number of debilitating illnesses.
 
“The President attacks employers for offering what he calls “gold-plated” care. I applaud the employers of our country and our state who are still offering necessary health benefits to their employees. In fact, I call them good corporate citizens.
 
“The only “gold-plated” aspect of the President’s plan is the additional tax breaks he is attempting to give wealthy Americans. His approach means that working families could lose the essential benefits they currently receive from their employers so that people in the highest tax brackets can get an additional tax deduction.
 
“While I’m encouraged that the President has finally recognized that 46 million uninsured Americans is a national crisis, he has missed a critical opportunity to provide a real solution. Instead of robbing working families to create additional tax breaks for wealthy Americans, we need to provide health care coverage for more Americans, especially children.”
 
EDUCATION
 
“I am also troubled by the President’s remarks on his No Child Left Behind program and its so-called success. Let me be clear, I support high academic standards for our students. But, to achieve those standards, we must invest in our schools, our teachers and our students. To date, this Administration has not delivered on its promises, and in fact has passed a large share of the federal burden onto the states. Our state of West Virginia is enormously frustrated by the lack of promised funding and overly rigid regulations of this law, and the President must do more to help states achieve their goals of higher standards.”
 
ENERGY
 
“On global warming and energy issues, I’m glad the President has decided to move the debate forward by talking about potential solutions. But, I’m also reminded that the President declared last year ‘America is addicted to oil’ yet his statement was not followed by substantial action. Not enough has been invested in domestic alternative fuels, including transportation fuels derived from our abundant supply of domestic coal. The President must follow through on his pledge tonight to expand ethanol use and he should call for action to increase biofuel production from sources other than corn. I appreciate his call for tougher fuel standards, however, he already has all the authority he needs to increase fuel economy. Finally, the President must follow through and expand upon his past commitments to pursue and promote clean coal technology to help fuel our nation’s energy needs.”
 
IRAQ
 
“Instead of a plan to end our occupation of Iraq, we have been presented with an escalation. I’m afraid the President’s troop surge plan oversimplifies the situation on the ground, places more of our soldiers in harm's way, and detracts from our ability to successfully carry out the real war on terrorism. By insisting on a military solution in Iraq, the President has ignored the diplomatic, political and economic objectives necessary to improve the situation. I will continue to support the brave men and women serving in Iraq, and when they return home as veterans, but I cannot support the President’s ill-conceived plan of escalation.”