Agricultural News
Members of Oklahoma Congressional Delegation React to Obama State of the Union
Thu, 28 Jan 2010 6:04:03 CSTSeveral of Oklahoma's Lawmakers offered their comments after the President's State of the Union address on Wednesday evening. Below are several of those statements:
Senator Tom Coburn:
"President Obama is right to be concerned about the size of our debt and the scope of our economic challenges. Unless Congress changes course quickly, future generations will inherit crushing debt, high unemployment and limited opportunities. We simply can't go on as we have and expect a robust recovery to take root. We've spent too many years borrowing money we don't have to spend on things we don't need."
"However, if President Obama wants to become the transformational leader he is capable of being, he needs to recognize he was given a mandate to unify the country, not drive through the agenda of the ideological left. This has been a year of hyper-partisanship in Washington because the President and congressional leadership have chosen a hyper-partisan, ideological agenda that has divided America. If the President brought the political center of the country together he may not always get my vote but the country would be better off. Still, I make no apologies for saying no to the obscene abuse of taxpayer dollars that takes place as a matter of course in the United States Senate."
"Calling on only one party to reform itself is not leadership; it is partisanship no matter how calmly the argument is presented. The challenges the President inherited were not the product of George Bush but a long legacy of complex challenges beginning with the New Deal, Great Society and Republican complicity in growing the size and scope of government. The President and every member of Congress understands that the vast majority of our unfunded liabilities are due to the impending bankruptcy and Social Security and Medicare. Instead of placing blame, we should be working on real solutions that will secure the future for future generations."
"The President can help recover the heritage of service and sacrifice that made our country great by imposing fiscal discipline on Congress now, not until after the next election. Specifically, the President can force the change he campaigned on by vetoing fiscally irresponsible bills this year not next year that increase spending and are loaded with pork. The best next step on earmark reform would be a Presidential veto of pork-laden spending bills this year."
"The President's support for a fiscal reform commission is well-intended, but the American people believe we already have a commission to confront our debt. It's called the United States Congress. If members of Congress aren't up to that task we don't need a new commission, we need a new Congress."
"I fear we will never tackle our big challenges such as the impending bankruptcy of Medicare and Social Security when we can't tackle smaller challenges such as consolidating duplicative programs. Yesterday, senators had the opportunity to take small steps on the road to recovery but they refused. The Senate voted to protect a generous six percent budget increase for itself while American families cut their budgets. The Senate also refused to cut discretionary spending outside of defense and veterans issues by five percent, even though both parties have worked together to double the size of the federal budget in the past decade. These should have been easy votes for senators. Instead, they complained the work was too hard."
"The President has unique constitutional powers to force Congress to take at least the small steps it must take toward fiscal responsibility. If the President backs up his words with real action he'll find few allies in Congress though I'll be one but he'll have an army of supporters among the American people."
"Finally, I look forward to again presenting to the President my comprehensive health care reform proposal the Patients' Choice Act which I introduced in May of last year along with U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and Representatives Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Devin Nunes (R-CA). Our bill meets all of the President's goals without raising taxes, busting the budget or putting the government in charge of health care."
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Congressman Frank Lucas:
"I was pleased to see President Obama chose to focus much of his first State of the Union address on our country's ailing economy. Although Oklahoma has fared better than the rest of the nation, much of our country is suffering through our current economic troubles and it is time that we concentrate on improving our economy, creating jobs, and reducing Americans' tax burden rather than a trillion-dollar government takeover of our health care system or a $600 billion energy tax.
"However, many of the proposals he announced tonight appear to be in direct contrast with each other. For example, he proposed a three year freeze on all discretionary, non-defense spending while also proposing a 6.2 percent increase in education funding and promoting his estimated $800 bill to $1.2 trillion government takeover of health care.
"The president has a long way to go from here. Many Americans are still waiting for the 'hope and change' he promised during his campaign and most of his supporters are still waiting for him to accomplish a single one of his big agenda items. Over the last few months with the elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and most recently Massachusetts, the American people have spoken loud and clear they are not happy with the direction the president has been headed. Let's hope he actually listens to them this time."
Congressman Lucas also provided audio of his comments- click on the Listen Bar below to hear those thoughts from the ranking member of the House Ag Committee.
Congressman Tom Cole:
"The agenda President Obama outlined tonight essentially promises more of the same: more spending, more burdens on American businesses, and more symbolic measures that do nothing to provide real solutions to the challenges we face.
"I agree with the president that overcoming our problems requires a fresh approach and a spirit of cooperation. The American people have made it clear that they are tired of wasteful Washington spending and politics-as-usual. Unfortunately, President Obama and congressional Democrats appear committed to the same costly policies that have deepened the deficit and stifled economic growth for the past year.
"Whether the issue is health care, energy policy or jobs, the Democrat answer remains the same: more spending, higher taxes and bigger government.
"Such an approach is not what the times require. We need commonsense policies that control runaway government spending and allow American innovation to thrive. This is the key to job creation, long-term economic security, energy independence and affordable health care.
"President Obama campaigned on a promise to usher in a new era of post-partisan cooperation and transparency. Unfortunately, the past year has demonstrated that the soaring rhetoric of his administration is hollow. Despite what he promised, President Obama continues to blame the past administration for all of America's problems, drive our nation further and further into debt, and look to big government programs to solve every challenge we face. That is not what made America great in the first place, and it is certainly not an approach to restore our greatness."
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