Bush Delivers His Seventh State of the Union Address

Besides again defending his Iraq war strategy, President Bush on Tuesday spoke on an array of domestic issues in his seventh and next-to-last State of the Union Address.

"Our job is to make life better for our fellow Americans, and help them to build a future of hope and opportunity -- and this is the business before us tonight," President Bush told a joint session of Congress assembled in the House chamber of the Capitol building.

Congressional wish list: President Bush began by making some ambitious requests of the 110th Congress: balance the federal budget within five years, while not raising taxes or killing his tax cuts; reform the budget process by ending "earmark" spending; reform the Medicare and Medicaid programs and save Social Security; reauthorize and strengthen his No Child Left Behind education act; change the tax code to make health insurance more affordable; enact medical liability reform; pass comprehensive immigration reform; and promptly fill judicial vacancies.

Health insurance: Moving to domestic issues, the President announced that he would propose a $7,500 tax deduction for individuals and $15,000 for families, whether their employer pays for their medical insurance or they buy their own coverage.

"We must remember that the best healthcare decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors," said President Bush.

Approval of the measure by Congress would mean that for the first time in history, some workplace-provided health benefits could be subject to income tax. Any value of employer-provided health insurance over $15,000 for a family would be taxable. On the other hand, this would also be the first time that persons who buy their own health insurance would realize a tax break. [White House Fact Sheet] [Bloomberg analysis]

Oh, that foreign oil: As in his previous State of the Union speeches, President Bush urged Congress to take action toward lessening the nation's reliance of foreign oil and encourage development of alternative fuels.

"For too long our nation has been dependent on foreign oil," said the President. "And this dependence leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to terrorists - who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments -- raise the price of oil -- and do great harm to our economy."

The President asked Congress to pass legislation that would reduce U.S. gasoline usage by 20 percent over the next 10 years, and to update Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for cars to reduce annual gasoline use by up to 8.5 billion gallons.

Bush also challenged lawmakers and private industry to replace 15 percent of U.S. gasoline consumption with alternative fuels by 2017. "It is in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply, and the way forward is through technology," he said.

Iraq and the war on terror: Even as Congress considers a non-binding resolution condemning his order to commit more than 20,000 additional troops to the battle, President Bush referred to the war on terror as "a generational struggle that will continue long after you and I have turned our duties over to others. That is why it is important to work together so our nation can see this great effort through."

Speaking directly to his troop buildup directive, the President stated, "In the end I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance of success," he said. "Many in this chamber understand that America must not fail in Iraq, because you understand that the consequences of failure would be grievous and far reaching."

"We did not drive al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe haven in a free Iraq," said the President.

President Bush asked Congress to increase the size of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps by 95,000 troops over the next two years and establish a civilian volunteer corps.

"In the sixth year since our nation was attacked, I wish I could report to you that the dangers have ended," said the President. "They have not."

Complete White House Transcript of Address

White House Fact Sheet on Health Insurance Plan

Photograph from 2006 SOTU courtesy of the White House

Also See:
Bush 2007: To Guard America Against All Evil (Terrorism Issues)
Outspoken Sen. Jim Webb to Deliver Democratic Response to SOTU (US Liberals)
Bush: We Can Balance the Budget and Not Raise Taxes (US Politics)
State of the Union 2007: Civil Liberties Analysis (Civil Liberties)
Brief History of the State of the Union Address
George Washington's First State of the Union Address