Press Releases
January 25, 2012
Congresswoman Bordallo Reacts to State of the Union
Congresswoman Bordallo today attended a joint session of Congress to receive President Obama’s State of the Union address. This was President Obama’s third State of the Union address since taking office on January 20, 2009. Franklin Arriola, Chief of Staff for the Governor of Guam, joined the Congresswoman as her guest and viewed the address from the House Gallery.
“President Obama renewed his effort to fight for the disappearing middle class in our country, and committed to proposing solutions that grow our economy and put people back to work,” said Congresswoman Bordallo. “The President laid out his blueprint for improving the economy, and re-emphasized that America was open for business. Tourism from international visitors is an important part of the President’s plan to increase jobs in our country, and, on Guam, it remains vital to our economic growth. We have made progress in securing parole authority for Russian tourists visiting Guam; however, I will continue to work with the Administration to push for the inclusion of China in our visitor parole program. I am hopeful that the President’s emphasis on creating jobs in America through a stronger tourism industry will help us overcome obstacles to expand the Guam program. I will continue to work closely with DHS and DoD to address any concerns they may have about expanding the visa waiver program to Chinese tourists.
“I also echo the President’s sentiment that fiscal conservatives must end their obstructionism and we must work together to solve a number of issues. My top priority for Guam is overcoming the obstacles placed by fiscal conservatives so that we can resolve war claims for our manamko’. This year, we must balance the need for fiscal responsibility while maintaining critical investments in infrastructure, job creation and our nation’s defense. Although the President has not released his budget for Fiscal Year 2013, he has made it clear that recent cuts to the Department of Defense budget will not compromise national security or our military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. It is incumbent on DoD to build on the progress that has been made in Okinawa and provide Congress with the information it needs to sustain the United States commitment to the Guam International Agreement. I will continue to work with my colleagues and the Administration to fight for critical infrastructure investments on Guam.
“I also join the President as well my colleagues in Congress in thanking Congresswoman Gabby Giffords for her work as the representative of Arizona’s Eighth District. I am proud to have served alongside her in the House, and I wish her well as she pursues other endeavors.”