[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 5 (Monday, February 5, 2007)]
[Pages 91-92]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

January 27, 2007

    Good morning. This week, I appeared before Congress to report on the 
state of our Union. I asked Members of the House and Senate from both 
sides of the aisle to join me in confronting the great challenges before 
us, so we can build a future of hope and opportunity for all Americans.
    Two key challenges we face are reducing our dependence on oil and 
expanding access to affordable health care. I have asked Congress to 
take several vital steps to address these issues. And while some Members 
gave a reflexive partisan response, I was encouraged that others 
welcomed this opportunity to reach across the aisle. One Democratic 
Senator said the initiatives I put forward were ``serious proposals'' 
and encouraged his fellow Democrats to ``respond in a constructive 
way.'' Another Senate Democrat pledged to work toward these goals 
``through sincere bipartisan efforts.'' This is a good start, and I look 
forward to working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to reform 
our health care system and increase energy security.
    Our Nation's dependence on oil leaves us vulnerable to hostile 
regimes and terrorists who can hurt our economy by disrupting our oil 
supply. To protect America against supply disruptions, I have asked 
Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum 
Reserve. We also must diversify our Nation's energy supply, and the way 
forward is through technology. On Wednesday, I visited DuPont's 
Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware, where researchers are 
developing new methods of producing cellulosic ethanol and other 
advanced biofuels using everything from grasses to cornstalks to 
agricultural wastes. By expanding our use of renewable and alternative 
fuels like ethanol, we can become less dependent on oil and confront the 
serious challenge of climate change.
    To increase the supply of alternative fuels, I've asked Congress to 
join me in setting a mandatory fuel standard to require 35 billion 
gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017--nearly five times 
the current target. At the same time, we need to reform and modernize 
fuel economy standards for cars the way we did for light trucks and 
conserve up to 8.5 billion more gallons of gasoline by 2017. By taking 
these steps, we can help achieve a great goal: reducing the use of 
gasoline in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 years and 
cutting our total imports by the equivalent of three-quarters of all the 
oil we now import from the Middle East.
    We must also work together to ensure that Americans have accessible 
and affordable health care. The Government has an obligation to provide 
care for the elderly, the disabled, and poor children, and we will meet 
these responsibilities. For all other Americans, private insurance is 
the best way to meet their needs. And this week, I proposed two new 
initiatives to help more Americans afford their own insurance.
    First, we should establish a standard tax deduction for health 
insurance that will be like the standard tax deduction for dependents. 
Families with health insurance will pay no income or payroll taxes on 
$15,000 of their income. Single Americans with health insurance will pay 
no income or payroll taxes on $7,500 of their income. With this reform, 
more than 100 million men, women, and children who are now covered by 
employer-provided insurance will benefit from lower tax bills. This 
reform will also level the playing field for those who do not get health 
insurance from their employers. On Thursday, I met an uninsured mother 
of two children from Overland Park, Kansas. The restaurant where she 
works does not offer health insurance, and she cannot afford to buy it 
on her

[[Page 92]]

own. My plan would help put a basic health insurance plan within reach 
of this mom and millions of uninsured Americans like her.
    Second, we must help States that are developing innovative ways to 
cover the uninsured. States that make basic private health insurance 
available to all their citizens should receive Federal funds to help 
them provide this coverage to the poor and the sick. I have proposed 
using existing Federal funds to create Affordable Choices grants. These 
grants would give our Nation's Governors more money and flexibility to 
get basic private health insurance to those most in need.
    Over the next few weeks, I will be talking more about my energy and 
health care proposals. We've set important goals, and now Republicans 
and Democrats must work together to make them a reality. Together we can 
reduce our dependence on oil, improve health care for more of our 
citizens, and make life better for all our citizens.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:50 a.m. on January 26 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 27. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
January 26 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his 
address, the President referred to Esmerelda Wergin, waitress, Ninfa's 
Tortilla and Taqueria. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a 
Spanish language transcript of this address.