Washington, DC – Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) made the following statement on Tuesday evening in response to President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“Although the President hit some positive notes in his speech, I was disappointed he didn’t go further.  While reaching out to Republicans on taxes, trade and health care, we needed more than a few token gestures here and there.  More concrete plans for getting America back to work were needed in these tough economic times.”

Specifically, Camp made the following comments on areas of the President’s speech related to the Ways and Means Committee.

On Tax Reform

“While the President focused on the need for corporate tax reform to make our employers more competitive, 75 percent of America’s job creators are small businesses.  Moving our economy forward and creating a climate for job growth requires a tax code that empowers all job creators – large and small.  Tax reform should address the entire tax code and find ways to help America’s job creators and families deal with the complexity and cost burdens of the current code.”

On Trade

“Frankly, I am disappointed by the lack of an action plan or commitment to move the long-stalled Colombia and Panama trade agreements.  We should address each of the three trade agreements in the next six months.  They would open new markets to U.S. exports and, in turn, benefit American businesses, farmers, workers, and consumers.  If the U.S. fails to implement our own trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, we will only lose ground to our foreign competitors and jeopardize U.S. job creation.”

On Health Care

“I don’t think the President has listened to what the American people are saying about the health care law.  It is clear Americans are demanding health care reform that puts patients and doctors at the center, not the federal government.  The fact is the health care law will hurt our ability to create jobs and drives up the cost of insurance.  We need to start over with common sense reforms that lower health care costs while providing patients with new protections, especially for those with pre-existing conditions.”

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