President George W. Bush gave on Monday night his last State of the Union address of his presidency.

Bush limped through his speech, an obvious cut-and-paste job during the final lame-duck leg of his journey.

While our economy flounders, our soldiers are encamped in Iraq with no end in sight, and working families grapple with many challenges, the President offered few ideas for solving many of the country’s most pressing problems.

Voters are calling for change. We see it in the overwhelming support and record turnout in the presidential nominating contests on the Democratic side and lagging enthusiasm among Republicans.

The 110th Congress is heeding the call for change by moving America in a new direction and squarely facing challenges that demand more action.

The following is a round-up of Democratic responses to Bush’s cut and paste approach to our nation’s problems.

The House took the first step toward overriding President Bush’s veto of a key defense bill today, which would ensure a halt to the Navy’s proposed outlying landing field in eastern North Carolina’s Washington County.

“If the Navy wants to move forward with an OLF, it should now be clear that they will need the support of the community,” Congressman G. K. Butterfield said.

Today, the House again approved the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill, taking the first step toward overriding President Bush’s veto. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week.

Last month, the conference report on the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill included language repealing “the authority for construction of an outlying landing field at Washington County, North Carolina.” The bill won overwhelming support from the House and Senate, but was vetoed by President Bush.

In approving the annual defense authorization bill today, Congressman G. K. Butterfield said the House closed the door on the Navy’s proposed outlying landing field in Washington County.

“The House has taken the Washington County site off the table because it posed a danger to the community, pilots and aircraft,” Butterfield said. “This is a clear message that if the Navy wants to move forward with an OLF it must have the support of the community.”

The conference report on the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Bill includes language repealing “the authority for construction of an outlying landing field at Washington County, North Carolina.” The language goes on to say conferees “expect the Department of the Navy to request new authorization for an outlying field once a study of the impact to the environment is complete and a site is selected.”

The House approved the bill by a 370 to 49 vote. The bill now goes to the Senate for an up or down vote, and, if approved, it goes to President Bush to be signed into law.

By Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post Staff Writer

The stage Wednesday night at the Congressional Black Caucus's annual legislative conference was a dream that was 37 years old, as old as the caucus itself.

No longer just progressive backbenchers railing at Congress's leadership, the lawmakers who opened the conference were the power elite: the chairmen of the House Ways and Means, Judiciary, Homeland Security, and ethics committees, as well as the House's third-ranking Democrat.

North Carolina’s Democrats in Congress today reaffirmed their support for a new direction in Iraq by voting to pass the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act (HR 2956). The bill, which would begin to responsibly redeploy our troops in Iraq and refocus our efforts on protecting Americans from terrorism, is the latest attempt by Democrats to transition the mission in Iraq and lead where Republicans have failed.

While Republicans like Robin Hayes and Elizabeth Dole still support President Bush’s failed strategy, Democrats are keeping their promise to change course in Iraq. This bill requires a responsible redeployment of U.S. troops beginning within 120 days of enactment and requires the President to publicly justify the post-redeployment missions for the US military in Iraq as well as the minimum number of troops necessary to carry out those missions. It is consistent with the advice of military and foreign policy experts, reflects the will of the American people, would ensure the safety of our men and women in uniform, and would enable a transition to an effective offensive strategy for winning the real war on terrorism.

Accomplishments of the 110th Congress:

• Senate Democrats passed comprehensive ethics and lobbying reform.
• Congress passed legislation to help ensure America’s competitive advantage in science, research, and technology.
• Democrats sought better pay for working Americans by passing legislation to raise the federal minimum wage.
• Senate Democrats led the way toward creating a stronger Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• The Senate-passed 2008 Budget Resolution would improve children’s health care coverage and combat our nation’s health care crisis.
  

A key House committee today approved a bill that would block funding for the Navy's plan to locate an Outlying Landing Field (OLF) in Washington County, NC. The site has raised objections from the surrounding communities, environmentalists, sportsmen, and numerous state and local leaders.

Reps. David Price (NC-04) and G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) worked with their colleagues on the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee to strip the funding. Price is a member of the full Appropriations Committee and a former member of the military construction subcommittee. The bill, which passed the full committee by a voice vote today, is slated to move to the House floor within two weeks.