The following is Rep. John Shadegg's (R.-Ariz.) press release about President Bush's call for congressional ethics reform and improved healthcare:
President Bush signaled tonight in the State of the Union that he recognizes the United States, and Congress, need serious reform.
"In addition to the War on Terror, the President talked about two important issues tonight: the need for reform in our earmark process, and using free-market forces to address ever-growing health care costs," said U.S. Congressman John Shadegg.
"My campaign for House Majority Leader is based, in part, on the obvious need to bring sunshine and openness to the earmark process. Powerful members of Congress should not be able to slip provisions into bills in the dead of night that benefit their cronies or supporters. The President recognizes how vitally important this issue is to the country. Earmark reform is a key to Congress fully regaining the confidence of the American people."
Parts of the health care section of the President's speech were very similar to legislation that Rep. Shadegg has worked on for years. The President spoke about the need for tax credits to encourage Health Savings Accounts, which are similar to the tax provisions in the Patient's Health Care Reform Act (H.R. 2203) which Shadegg introduced in February of last year. In addition, the President talked about the importance of portability in health insurance coverage, a concern which echoes Shadegg's Health Care Choice Act (H.R. 2235), which passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in July of 2005.
"The rising cost of health care is a threat to the standard of living for millions of families," Shadegg said. "I look forward to working with the President over the coming months to bring free-market reforms to our health care system."
