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U.S.
Senator Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees |
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For Immediate
Release December 22, 2006 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852 |
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Denver, CO - United States Senator Ken Salazar identified the top seven state and National issues for 2007 and beyond based on his meetings in all 64 counties with thousands of Coloradans. Senator Salazar has now visited all 64 Colorado counties three years in a row. The top seven issues Senator Salazar heard from Coloradans are; 1) Iraq, 2) Health Care, 3) Energy, 4) Education, 5) Transportation, 6) Agriculture and Rural Issues and 7) Immigration. 1) Iraq – “We need a new direction in Iraq. We need both candor and clarity on the current situation and what our next steps are in Iraq. The President must work with Democrats and Republicans and the international community to develop a specific plan for success. That plan must end the days of an open-ended commitment to maintain large numbers of American troops in Iraq. This plan should be crafted in a bipartisan manner so that it can be presented to the people within the next several weeks.” 2) Health Care -- “The Congress and the President must work to find comprehensive solutions, not band-aid approaches that fail to provide health care that is important to peoples’ lives. To help break the logjam in Washington, I have sponsored a national commission, with Arizona Senator John McCain, to undertake a fresh review of health care in the U.S. with one goal: finding the best ideas for real solutions for the millions of Americans trapped in this Nation’s health care crisis. The 110th Congress can not ‘hide its head in the sand’ on this issue; I will do everything I can from my seat on the Senate Finance Committee to bring about health care reform.” 3) Energy – “We need to build a new energy policy, one built on the promise of renewable energy, and Coloradans are eager to do this,” said Senator Salazar. “Across our state, people imagine a renewable energy future that harnesses the entrepreneurship and work ethic of our farmers and ranchers, and which breathes new life into sagging rural economies. We have devoted a lot of time and a lot of talk to short-term solutions. The time to get serious about growing our way to energy independence is long overdue and I will continue to push legislation such as ‘25 x 25’ to lessen our dependence on foreign oil and make Colorado the renewable energy capitol of the world.” 4) Education -- “Education is key to our state and Nation’s future,” said Senator Salazar. “We have an opportunity in the 110th Congress to reform the ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act to ensure our children get the best education possible and our teachers get the tools they need to provide that education. In addition, we have to ensure access to higher education for everyone; I am committed to increase access to Pell Grants so that young people from all backgrounds have the chance to succeed.” 5) Transportation – “Like our state’s rivers, Colorado’s roads and highways are lifelines. Across Colorado our rural highways are in need of repair and across our state we have to build a transportation system to keep up with a 21st century economy. I look forward to working on solutions to our transportation needs with my colleagues in the Senate and with state and local officials including Governor-elect Ritter.” 6) Agriculture and Rural Issues – “Rural Colorado, like rural America, is dying on the vine and has become the forgotten part of our great Nation. Much of rural America has suffered silently as they lose population and continue to experience severe drought. Providing America’s farmers and ranchers with the help they so desperately need should be an easy decision for both sides of the aisle to make. I pledge to work hard with my colleagues to develop an effective national farm policy in the 2007 Farm bill reauthorization that will help strengthen and revitalize our rural communities. 7) Immigration -- “Congress has a remarkable opportunity to deliver comprehensive immigration reform to the nation in 2007,” said Senator Salazar. “The recent ICE raids at Swift plants in Colorado and across the country reinforce the need to secure our borders, enforce our immigration laws and address the economic and human reality of the millions of undocumented workers currently in America in a comprehensive manner. This complex problem will be only be solved by bipartisan cooperation and comprehensive reform – I look forward to working on this issue with my colleagues early in the 110th Congress. “As I met with people in communities across the state, I learned a great deal from them regarding the issues they care about most. I look forward to addressing these issues in the 110th Congress and working diligently in a bipartisan manner to bring improvements and in some cases resolution to the issues that affect us all. # # #
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