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CONTACT: Amy Auth
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President Delivers Major Economic Speech in Kernersville

KERNERSVILLE, N.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.-5) traveled on board Air Force One with President George W. Bush to North Carolina's Fifth District, where he spoke to 500 workers at the Deere-Hitachi manufacturing plant in Kernersville. The President talked about the successes of the American economy and called on Congress to make tax relief permanent. He also stated, “I appreciate Congresswoman Virginia Foxx -- we're right here in her congressional district -- she's doing an excellent job on behalf of the people of this part of the world.”

Rep. Foxx made the following welcoming remarks prior to the President’s speech:

“Good afternoon! It is a pleasure to be back here with my friends at Deere- Hitachi in Kernersville and to welcome so many good folks from the Fifth District, our guests from Washington and other districts. We are pleased to have Treasury Secretary Snow and, Commerce Secretary Gutierrez who are working with President Bush in creating the very positive economic climate we enjoy today.

“Senator Burr, it is always a pleasure to be with you. We have been working together since 1994 when we were elected to our previous positions and I am grateful to you for your friendship over the years.

“We also have Congressman Howard Coble who represents North Carolina’s Sixth District right next door. Congressman Coble is the dean of the North Carolina delegation and a real leader in Washington.

“We are also fortunate to have Congressman Patrick McHenry from the Tenth Congressional District. Congressman McHenry and I are both freshmen who have rolled up our sleeves and gone straight to work in our first year.

“Finally, Mayor Curtis Swisher, it is always a pleasure to be here in Kernersville. I was here on Friday but am pleased to be back. We agree that any day in Kernersville is a good day.

“I am delighted to be back here at Deere-Hitachi. I toured your plant back in March and was incredibly impressed with your highly skilled and motivated workforce and your state-of-the-art facilities.

“I had the pleasure to witness firsthand the assembly of your hydraulic excavators which are widely used in the construction industry as earth moving digging machines. I learned much about Deere-Hitachi being a model of how U.S. manufacturing companies can compete successfully in the global economy.

“The employees here at Deere-Hitachi have worked incredibly hard, and I am pleased that they will soon be receiving recognition from President George W. Bush!

“You know, the last time we had the President in Kernersville, it was the other George W… George Washington! I hope it won’t be that long before the President comes back.

“It is a tremendous honor to have the President in my Congressional district. When I ran for Congress, I told you that if elected I would take the ideas and common sense from the people of the Fifth District to Washington with me to make sound policy. And I promised to bring to North Carolina the decision makers in Washington so they would know the people from the Fifth District and understand our needs and concerns. Well in just my first year in office, I have been able to host the Speaker of the House and now, today, the President of the United States. That’s not too bad for a freshman member, is it?

“We all have a lot to be grateful to our President for. Under his leadership, our economy is flourishing and getting stronger. One of the main reasons why our economy is so strong is President Bush's tax cuts. And, we need to make them permanent.

“I am proud of President Bush’s leadership and agenda for a strong economy. I will continue to work with him and my colleagues in Congress to make tax relief permanent, exercise spending restraint and cut the federal deficit. Thank you all for being here today.”

To view the President's speech visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051205-4.html.

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