Rep. Sanchez reacts to President Obama’s State of the Union address

January 25, 2011: Rep. Sanchez Issues Statement on President’s State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), the most senior female member of both the House Armed Services Committee and House Homeland Security Committee, today issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“Tonight, President Obama spoke directly to the American people about his plan to win the future by out-innovating, out-educating, and out-building the rest of the world. By emphasizing the importance of entrepreneurship, education, and infrastructure, the president demonstrated a solid understanding of what it will take to restore America’s prosperity in the long-term.

“I was particularly pleased that President Obama’s strategy included smart investments in education and high-speed rail: two sectors with the potential to spur economic growth in California. Education, in particular, is the foundation of opportunity and the basis of our country’s future success. By giving every American of every age the opportunity to succeed in school, I believe we will be better-positioned to compete in a 21st century economy.

“As a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Caucus, I was also pleased to hear the president emphasize the need to restore fiscal responsibility in government. It’s time to take a commonsense approach to our budget, investing only in what makes America stronger and cutting what doesn’t. But I also want to balance our interest in bringing down the deficit with our interest in maintaining crucial social service programs, particularly in Orange County. While I am supportive of the president’s proposed freeze on annual domestic spending, we have to take extreme care to ensure our actions are as targeted as possible.

“Finally, I want to commend the president for remembering to address the important issue of immigration reform. There are millions of undocumented immigrants now living in communities across the country. The time to find a compassionate, humane way to bring these men, women, and children out of the shadows is now. I applaud the president’s call to action on this difficult issue, and hope he will continue to push for meaningful reform in the months ahead.”