Chairman Issa’s Response to State of the Union

WASHINGTON D.C. – Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following response to President Obama’s State of the Union Address:

“From a crippling deficit that threatens the future solvency of our country to the prolonged absence of job creation, there is widespread recognition across the ideological spectrum acknowledging the many challenges facing our nation today. What we have learned in the past two years is that growing the size and scope of the federal government is not the answer. We cannot spend our way out of an economic downturn and into fiscal solvency. We cannot erect barriers on job creators and then expect robust job creation. We cannot sidestep the tough decisions about the future of entitlements and expect to make legitimate progress on the deficit. We cannot ignore the failures of the past for the sake of expediency or political gain. If we are to move our nation forward, beyond the challenges of the present, we must first demonstrate a commitment and a willingness to live within our means, reduce the footprint of government in our lives and reform a bureaucracy that has grown to comfortable with being careless with the American people’s money.”

Below are some responses from Chairman Issa to specific passages of the President’s address:

President Obama on Regulatory Impediments to Job Creation: “All these investments – in innovation, education, and infrastructure – will make America a better place to do business and create jobs. But to help our companies compete, we also have to knock down barriers that stand in the way of their success. To reduce barriers to growth and investment, I’ve ordered a review of government regulations. When we find rules that put an unnecessary burden on businesses, we will fix them…”

Chairman Issa: “As President Obama has signaled the importance of examining the regulatory impediments to job creation, I am hopeful that through the launch of www.AmericanJobCreators.com, we can bring the voice of job creators nationwide directly to Washington and into this debate. We agree that American job creators deserve the opportunity to succeed and grow here in the United States. The first step is listening to the personal stories of job creators, innovators and entrepreneurs about how government impacts job creation.”

President Obama on Government Reform: “Let me take this one step further. We shouldn’t just give our people a government that’s more affordable. We should give them a government that’s more competent and efficient. We cannot win the future with a government of the past. We live and do business in the information age, but the last major reorganization of the government happened in the age of black and white TV. There are twelve different agencies that deal with exports…the coming months, my administration will develop a proposal to merge, consolidate, and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive America. I will submit that proposal to Congress for a vote – and we will push to get it passed.

Chairman Issa: “Identifying, reforming and eliminating the redundancy and waste in government is an area in which there should and will be common-ground. Americans deserve an efficient and effective government that works better for them than it does right now. Our work here at the Oversight and Government Reform Committee centers on the principle of holding government accountable to taxpayers, because taxpayers have a right to know what they get from government.”

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