Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today issued the following statement after President Bush's State of the Union address:

 "I was glad to hear the president discuss opportunities where we can work in a bipartisan manner during his last year in office. One of the most important things we can do is keep the country out of a recession by passing legislation to stimulate our economy. I think we'll be able to work together to get that done in the coming weeks.

 "I hope we can also pass legislation to make improvements to the No Child Left Behind Act, find a way to continue dealing with our energy challenges, and make adequate investments in the scientific research that will keep us competitive in the global marketplace.

 "Unfortunately, it is clear that this White House will not bring about a resolution to two other key issues facing our country: getting us out of Iraq and health care reform. Those are two areas that regrettably will be left to the next president to address."