(Washington, D.C.)  Congresswoman Cathy McMorris released the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union address:

“In tonight’s State of the Union address, I was pleased to see the President reach out to Congress and show a willingness to work with both sides. While not always easy, I believe it is possible to work through differences in order to achieve great things for our country.

“The President touched on several important domestic issues that are important to Eastern Washington.

“We must continue to look for ways to address our country’s rising health care costs. In Eastern Washington, and throughout the country, we have a growing number of people who are uninsured. Nearly half of these people own or are employed by a small business. We must come together on this issue and look for ways to expand access to quality and affordable health care.

“Energy independence also needs to be on the forefront of our domestic agenda. Our growing dependence on foreign oil creates serious concerns for both our economic and national security. We must take seriously the need to expand our efforts on developing renewable and alternative energy. In Eastern Washington there are companies making exciting technological breakthroughs in the areas of wind power, biofuel, and fuel cells. It is important that we support and expand these efforts.”