Following President Bush’s State of the Union address this evening, U.S. Senator Susan Collins released the following statement:
“Tonight, the President rightly focused on one of the foremost concerns for Americans, the state of our economy. I agree that Congress must act quickly to help individuals and families who are struggling. In order to adequately tackle the weakening economy, however, more must be done to address record high energy prices which are a significant cause of the current economic downturn.
“I am pleased with the progress made toward a bipartisan agreement on a stimulus plan,
but there is more we can immediately do to help individuals and families who are struggling with high energy prices and rising unemployment.
“I will continue to press for provisions that would increase the funding for Food Stamp benefits, extended unemployment benefits, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). These programs are vital safety nets for families and seniors, and an increase in their funding would immediately stimulate the economy by putting money back in people’s pockets quickly. In addition to working families, we must provide low-income senior citizens with tax rebates.
“While I agree that we must build a future of energy security, I would like to have heard the President outline a bolder goal of energy independence by the year 2020. We must set a course to make significant changes to our energy infrastructure in order to increase our domestic supply of energy and decrease our demand for foreign oil, which also will help to stabilize energy prices. We need to provide more incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. These incentives should be widely available to consumers and homeowners.
“I am pleased that, during his address, the President recognized the tremendous strain that the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are placing on the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families. Our nation’s service members have gone above and beyond the call of duty. We owe so much to our dedicated troops who have served their country honorably. I cosponsored legislation that was signed into law last year, the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act, that will help facilitate and enhance the care, rehabilitation, and physical evaluation of wounded service members. In addition, I support the President’s plan to expand education benefits to our veterans and their families. It was wonderful that Staff Sergeant Craig Charloux, a service member from Bangor who served honorably in Iraq, was invited to attend the speech along with the First Lady.
“I look forward to working closely, in a bipartisan spirit, with my colleagues in the Senate to continue to address these and the other important issues that face our country today.”
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