WASHINGTON, DC -- Tonight, following the State of the Union address, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) issued the following statement:

"President Bush talked a lot about trust tonight. But there is a real credibility gap between this President's words and his actions. When Congress has forged consensus, he has repeatedly vetoed bipartisan legislation. That is no way to build trust.

"President Bush once again claimed his tax cuts for the wealthy have helped grow the economy. But the millions of Americans struggling to pay their mortgage, keep the heat turned on, or send their kids to school feel otherwise.

"Tonight, the President called on Congress to extend the massive tax cuts from his first term. But what we really need is a policy that aids the middle class and creates jobs here, not overseas.

"I am pleased the President acknowledged the urgent need for an economic stimulus plan. However, the stimulus package he spoke of leaves behind millions of Americans who are looking for jobs and seniors living on fixed incomes. There should be a concerted effort to put money in the hands of those who need it most and will spend it the quickest. I urge President Bush to work with Congress to temporarily extend unemployment benefits and cover seniors as part of this package. Not only is this sound economic policy, but it is the right thing to do.

"The President's message to distressed homeowners seemed to be: ‘you are on your own.' We need to take concrete steps to minimize the damage from the spike in foreclosures and prevent this crisis from spreading. We can start by increasing the FHA lending limits and passing GSE reform. We also need to fix the system to ensure this doesn't happen again. Foreclosures have spiked in large part because the system is riddled with inadequacies. We need to address the poor financial accounting techniques and poor underwriting that got us into this mess.

"On education, the President spoke of the need to renew the No Child Left Behind Act. A quality education is something every child deserves, yet President Bush has refused to provide critical funding to follow through with the law.

"I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to move America in a new direction. If the President truly trusts the American people then he will work with Congress in the spirit of bipartisanship. I urge President Bush to use his last year in office to help us confront the challenges facing our great nation."