Grassley likes what he sees in State of Union preview

President Bush will deliver his State of the Union Address tonight and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a republican, says he’s looking forward to the speech as Bush lays out his priorities for the year ahead.Grassley says the President is expected to address three key issues: homeland security, defeating terrorism, and building economic security.Grassley says Bush’s proposals deliver a “strong safety net for Iowa farmers.” Grassley has also been given a pre-view of Bush’s outline for improvements in the federal medical care package for senior citizens.He says it adds a prescription drug benefit to a stronger and more modern Medicare program, something Grassley worked on in the Senate Finance Committee. He says of Bush’s Medicare program, “I don’t think he goes far enough, but at least the President is sticking to his guns.”Iowa would get millions more dollars to help children learn to read as President Bush is calling for an 11-percent increase in funding for a program called “Reading First.” Senator Grassley supports the plan, which aims to make every child in every state a successful reader by the third grade.Iowa will see more than six-point-three million dollars for Reading First next year. Grassley says the program is part of the most sweeping federal education reform package in more than 30 years.