|
by Rep. Steny H. Hoyer
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Honoring a Pledge to Bipartisanship
In the beginning of his State of the Union address, President Bush stated, 'We must have the will to face difficult challenges and determined enemies -- and the wisdom to face them together.' I couldn't agree more. Our strength as a nation is wholly dependent on our ability to stand together and work together to achieve our common goals of security, opportunity, and prosperity for all. However, the true measure of the commitment to bipartisanship is not in the rhetoric used, but the results that we will achieve together in the months ahead.
The new 110th Congress has not only embraced the concept of cooperative government in its opening hours, we have demonstrated that we can work together – Democrats and Republicans - to address America's key priorities and find real solutions to the real problems people are facing. The President repeated that theme in his speech last Tuesday, extending an olive branch of bipartisanship to the new majorities in Congress and offering positive recommendations on ways to address many of the significant challenges of our time.
For instance, I was encouraged by President Bush’s stated commitment to energy independence. The President has pledged attention to address the nation's energy problems in every State of the Union, acknowledging last year that “America is addicted to oil.” However, just one week after last year’s speech, in his annual budget, he shortchanged investments in the development of alternative energies and technologies. It is my hope that this Congress we can work together with the President to advance bipartisan-supported proposals to take giant leaps - not baby steps – toward securing our energy independence and protecting our national security, economy, and the future of our planet.
While I have great concerns with his proposal, I also welcome the President’s willingness to focus on healthcare. Together, we can strengthen the state of our union if we can find a way to address the healthcare crisis in this country that has left 46 million uninsured, including approximately 800,000 in the state of Maryland. Many in Congress have long believed that each of our citizens is entitled to affordable quality healthcare, yet the growing number of uninsured and the steady increase of medical costs are evidence of a problem that is getting worse, not better.
Another common theme the President drew on was the importance of restoring fiscal discipline. Together, we can strengthen the state of our union if we can work to balance the federal budget and reverse the impact of damaging fiscal polices that have turned a projected $5.6 trillion surplus into a $3 trillion deficit. What this amounts to for every man, woman, and child in Maryland is an individual debt burden of $28,829. The Congress has already passed a provision called “pay-as-you-go” to require the government to spend within its means. The President must make the next move towards fiscal responsibility by presenting an honest balanced budget next month. It is imperative to the future of our nation that we come together - Democrats and Republicans – to get our nation’s fiscal house in order.
Throughout his speech, the President said many things that virtually all Marylanders can agree with – that we must make our nation more secure, that we must expand access to health insurance and reduce costs, that we must break our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, and that we must restore fiscal discipline. But recognizing these problems and offering real solutions -- as Maryland families know -- are two entirely different things.
As we look ahead at the challenges before us, I am reminded of an old Hopi saying -“One finger cannot lift a pebble.” It is only with a real commitment to bipartisanship and cooperative government that we can continue to move forward in the new direction the Congress has initiated in its first 100 hours. You can be sure I will do my part to represent the Fifth District of Maryland well in this mission.
|
|
