Washington, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington) released the following statement today in advance of the President’s State of the Union address tonight:
“Tonight the President plans to talk about issues that are important to North Carolinians, like energy costs and education. However, the President has a record of making promises in his State of the Union that he fails to keep.
“Tonight I would like to see the President do more than make promises. I learned long ago that the devil is in the details. I would like to hear some details about the President’s plans and how we plans to pay for his priorities. If the President truly wants to achieve his goals, then he needs to be willing to work with Democrats to reach bipartisan solutions to our country’s most pressing problems.
“Tonight the President will encourage Congress to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act. I’m willing to work with the President to reauthorize the act, because I support its goals. But the President must provide the funding to help our students meet the high standards we are setting for them. The Administration has shortchanged our schools more than $50 billion in No Child Left Behind funding. Time and again we hear the President talk a good game on education and then his budget turns out to be, at best, a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
“The President will call tonight for increased production of alternative energy sources like ethanol. Last year the President claimed America was addicted to oil, but then just a week later he proposed a budget that shortchanged alternative fuel development. We have the solution to our fuel crisis growing in our fields. Our nation can become energy independent. We can turn soybeans and peanuts, both grown in abundance in North Carolina, into biodiesel, and we can turn sugarcane and corn into ethanol. What we need is a commitment to making this vision a reality. Democrats in Congress are committed, and I invite the President to join us.
“I would also like to hear the President address our nation’s farmers and our agriculture policy. One in five North Carolinians makes a living through agriculture, and last year the President failed to utter one single word about our farmers. Congress will be writing a new farm bill this year and I hope the President will address how he plans to work with the Congress to ensure a continuation of our successful agricultural policies.
“Finally, our nation’s military is stretched dangerously thin. We need a realistic plan from the President to refocus on the greatest threat to our national security, namely Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.”