Bay Area Lawmakers To Host Guests At Obama State Of The Union Address
KPIX 5, KCBS Radio 740/106.9 and CBSSF.com will carry the State of the Union address live, as well as the Republican response, beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT
WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) - The economy will again be the focus as President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, where among those viewing inside the House chamber will be guests of Bay Area lawmakers.
Obama will be discussing an economic blueprint with many of the elements Americans have heard before -- embracing manufacturing, energy development and education.
Obama will also be announcing the withdrawal of 34,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan within a year. That's about half the U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan. The decision marks the next phase in Obama's plans to end the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
And the White House says Obama will make the case that North Korea's nuclear program has served only to further isolate that country.
As Obama speaks, many of the faces looking down from the galleries in the House of Representatives will be those of Americans who have been thrust into the politics of gun violence. The first lady will be sitting with the parents of a Chicago teenager who was killed just days after performing at the president's inauguration.
Bay Area to be Well Represented at State of the Union
There will be Bay Area faces in Washington, as well.
Rep. Mike Honda (CA-17) has invited Ramji Srinivasan, Counsyl CEO and Co-Founder, as his State of the Union guest.
The guest accompanying Rep. Jackie Speier (CA-14) will be in uniform.
"She is an active member of the military," explained Speier, "who has had the bravery to come forward and talk about sexual assault and harassment she's endured for 17 years as a member of the Air Force."
"By the Department of Defense and the Secretary of Defense's own admission," she continued, "it's an epidemic."
The woman, said Speier, is actually seeking a discharge.
"She feels that there really isn't any hope for her to continue."
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