“Tonight President Barack Obama laid out a vision for the future of our nation during his final state of the union address. I applaud the spirit of inclusion and hope that the President shared tonight. He knows the resilience and determination of the American people. He also touched on four big questions our country faces as we seek to elect a new president.One of the biggest questions he asked was: how do we reignite that spirit of innovation? I applaud the President for keeping science, technology, and innovation at the forefront of his discussion. The President highlighted some of the great accomplishments this country has made in space exploration, scientific innovation, and medical research. As the ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I have always been a strong supporter and champion for innovation. I feel that it is one of the keys to America’s greatness and the President echoed that sentiment tonight during his speech.
Coming from the state of the Texas, where we are leaders in energy, including renewable energy technology, I applaud this President and his administration’s commitment to pushing climate change to the front of international dialogue. He sees this as an opportunity to push for new technology, more renewable clean energy sources, and ultimately more jobs for Americans in this sector. He called for us to accelerate the transition from traditional fossil fuels to clean energy that will not only satisfy our growing energy needs, but also fight man-made climate change in the process.
The President made a resounding call for our system to fix its politics and look to the future, in order to make sure representatives are truly in office for the people they serve. This requires moving money out of politics, and importantly, eliminating gerrymandering from our system. The President wisely said, "We have to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters, and not the other way around.” As a Congresswoman who has been in office and seen the State of the Union speeches of three presidents, I can say this is the strongest and truest proposal to amend one of the uglier parts of our political process.
Barack Obama’s presidency has represented the fulfillment of America’s promise that all people are truly created equal. I have been fortunate to serve by the side of this historic president to help him achieve some very lift goals in the seven years since his election. From the passing of universal healthcare, to closure of the Iraq war, to recovering from the worst economic recession since the great depression, President Obama has been a transformative figure. His leadership and grace have not only inspired millions of citizens in this country to strive for more, but it has also set an international example for the citizens of the world.
Much like when the President came to office, he delivered his final State of the Union looking towards the future. His speech was not a laundry list of accomplishments, or political spin on partisan battles. It was a thoughtful and honest look at our great country, its successes, but most importantly, America’s future.”
