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Hoyer: President Is Correct in Saying that the Economy Will Be Crucial in This Election

“Given His Administration’s Failed Policies, the President Ought to be Careful What He Wishes For,” Says Democratic Whip

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement this afternoon after President Bush stated today in a Rose Garden press conference that the Administration’s economic performance will play a large role in November’s elections:

 “Given this Administration’s incompetence and gross miscalculations in Iraq – from ignoring the advice of top military officials and sending too few troops to secure the country, to firing the Iraqi security forces, to failing to properly equip our own troops and prepare post-war plans – it’s no wonder the President says he hopes voters will focus on the Administration’s economic performance in the upcoming elections.

 “But the President ought to be careful what he wishes for.  The fact is, the President’s economic policies have failed to move the American people forward and instead only deepened their economic anxieties.

 “This Administration and Republican Congress have instigated record budget deficits and exploding debt that will immorally force our children to pay our bills and leave us vulnerable to foreign-debtor nations such as China and Saudi Arabia.  For working age households, income dropped by $275 in 2005 for the fifth straight year – for a total of almost $3,000 since President Bush took office.  The cost of health insurance for the average family has skyrocketed 71 percent, and tuition and fees at four-year public universities has exploded by 57 percent.  Gas prices, the number of uninsured and the poverty rate are all up.  And, this President still has the worst record of job creation since the Great Depression.

 “When the President boasts about the performance of his economic policies, I am sure that millions of Americans around the country – people who are living paycheck to paycheck – must shake their heads and wonder, ‘Who is he talking to?’  Clearly, the President and the Republican Congress are out of touch with the lives of working Americans.  Democrats believe it is imperative that we take our nation in a new direction.”
 

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