 Roby Column
By U. S. Representative Martha Roby
A Response to State of the Union:
Last week, President Barack Obama delivered the final State of the Union of
his term.
Presidents typically deliver the State of the Union in January before a
Joint Session of Congress to present their views on the legislative
priorities for the year. Unfortunately, this year's address sounded less
like a legislative outline and more like a political
speech.
We continue to witness a striking lack of leadership from the president on
the most basic responsibilities of governance and on the issues of the
highest priorities to Americans.
If the president's priority were fiscal responsibility, he would call on
Senate Democrats to pass an honest, gimmick-free budget, which they have not
done in more than 1,000 days. If the president's priority were job creation,
he would call for the immediate construction of the Keystone XL
Pipeline,
which would create thousands of jobs. If the president's priority was
economic growth, he would find common ground on any of the 27 House-passed
jobs bills of which he actually
suggested. The reality is, the president has done none of this.
Right now, 27 House-passed, pro-growth, pro-jobs bills are sitting idle in
the Senate. These bills are designed to help reduce government's
interference with the economy and create an environment that is ripe for
sustained free-market growth and job creation. In a press conference this
week, I
urged
Sen. Reid and the president to focus on passing these bills to help
encourage job growth. Unfortunately, Sen. Reid refuses to allow debate on
these bills and the president has threatened vetoes.
It is evident that Americans are frustrated. I share this frustration. I
hope the president will stop delivering campaign speeches and start working
with Congress to find common ground on the free-market, limited government
policies that will actually deliver the economic growth that he touted in
his first State of the Union three years ago. Demonstrating support for our
package of 27 job related bills would be a good start.
The House is doing its job. The Senate must do its part. The American people
await its action.
New Energy Exploration in Gulf:
On Friday, the Department of Interior announced plans to allow energy
exploration on an additional 38 million acres of the central Gulf of Mexico.
I was pleased to hear this
information
as I believe that the executive branch has moved too slowly in the past few
years to bring American oil and natural gas reserves in the Gulf of Mexico
online.
The announcement presents a good step toward unleashing energy production
here at home, which can be done in an environmentally safe manner when rules
are followed. Not only will the approval of this new lease help stabilize
gas prices for working families and small businesses, it will also
facilitate additional jobs and revenue for our area. In addition, through a
law passed in 2006, Gulf States are eligible to receive 37.5 percent of the
initial payment and royalties from the lease. Alabama can use this
additional revenue to fund costal restoration and onshore infrastructure
projects in our state.
Implementing an "all of the above" approach is by far the best strategy to
solving our nation's energy problem. Boosting American energy production is
essential to generate job growth, lower the cost of energy, and free our
nation from a dependency on foreign sources of energy.
The 39th Anniversary of Roe V. Wade:
As a member of the Pro-Life Caucus, I delivered a speech on the House
floor
marking the 39th anniversary of the monumental court decision Roe V. Wade.
Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, approximately 50 million
abortions have been performed in the United States. Within the next year,
more than 1.4 million children will be denied a chance for life.
I am unapologetically pro-life and I believe that the miracle of human life
begins at the very moment of conception. Once conceived, every human being
has the inherent right to life. I believe that the law must protect this
right.
Alabama recently became the fifth state to pass a measure banning physicians
from performing abortions after 20 weeks - which, according to research, is
a point where unborn children can experience pain. I applaud our state and
the Alabama legislature in its admirable fight to protect the unborn.
Each day is a chance to celebrate the gift of life and to mourn those lives
unjustly lost to abortion. As a woman, a wife, and a mother of two small
children, I will continue to fight for the unborn and do everything in my
power to protect those who cannot fight for themselves.
Contact Me:
Keeping close contact with you is my top priority as I am traveling between
Alabama and Washington, D.C. As the 112th Congress continues, I hope you
will stay updated on my activities by joining me at:
- Web site http://roby.house.gov/
- Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Representative.Martha.Roby
- Twitter page @ RepMarthaRoby<http://twitter.com/RepMarthaRoby>
- Flicker page at Martha
Roby http://www.flickr.com/photos/repmartharoby/
Sign up to receive Congressman Martha Roby's Weekly Column at http://roby.house.gov/contact-me/newsletter.
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