Local Congressmen React to State of Union Address
By Kelly Field
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29–Ominously warning that “thousands of killers are spread throughout the world like ticking time bombs set to go off without warning,” President Bush in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night prepared the nation for increased spending on homeland security and the war in Afghanistan, saying “Our war against terrorism is only beginning.”
In a speech that featured patriotic rhetoric and emotional appeals, the President proposed the largest increase in defense spending in a decade, vowing to spend whatever it takes for the U.S. to defend itself.
“While the price of freedom and security is high, it is never too high: whatever it costs to defend our country, we will pay it,” he said.
But Bush’s speech-which outlined “three great goals”: winning the war, protecting the homeland and reviving the economy – did not neglect domestic issues. In the second half of his speech, Bush pledged to combat recession, saying that his economic security plan could be “summed up in one word: jobs.” For the recently unemployed, he supported extended unemployment benefits and credits for health care coverage.
He also touted his education bill, praising both Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) for their bipartisan efforts in passing the bill.
“The folks at the Crawford coffee shop couldn’t quite believe (that Kennedy and I had reached agreement), but our work on this bill shows what is possible if we set aside posturing and focus on results,” he said.
Judd said in a prepared statement that he appreciated Bush’s “kind acknowledgement of my efforts that developed bipartisan proposals such as the education bill.”
In his speech, Bush announced plans to improve Head Start and early childhood development programs and to recruit new teachers. The proposals mirrored those offered by Kennedy, who said he looks forward to working with Bush “to improve the quality of early education for children before they arrive at school.”
Bipartisanship was a major theme in Bush’s speech, as well as in the Democratic response delivered by House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Missouri) after the State of the Union. Echoing sentiments expressed by the president, Gephardt said “Now is not a time for finger-pointing or politics as usual·.We need to put partisanship aside and work together to solve the problems that face us.” This spirit of solidarity could be felt at the State of the Union, said Congressman Charlie Bass (R-NH).
“It seemed like an equal number of Democrats and Republicans were applauding his initiatives,” he said.
Bush also tapped the national surge in community spirit by proposing that every American commit two years to community service and announcing the creation of the “USA Freedom Corps”, an expansion of the Clinton AmeriCorps program.
As for Enron, Bush skirted the issue. He did not mention Enron by name, instead offering only oblique commentary on the collapse of the energy company. He said that corporate America must be held accountable and asked Congress to enact new safeguards for 401 (k) and pension plans.
The speech drew praise from both parties, with many Democrats saying that they wholeheartedly backed the President’s plans for the war. But they were less enthusiastic about Bush’s domestic agenda and tax cuts.
Congressman Marty Meehan (D-5th), described the speech as “strong and thoughtful,” and said he is optimistic that Congress will “resist the urge to play election year games,” and extend the spirit of “respect and bipartisanship” it has shown in the war to domestic issues. But he said he was disappointed that Bush did not call for the passage of campaign finance reform, which he has co-sponsored in the House.
“I think he did miss an opportunity in failing to mention the need for campaign finance reform,” he said.
Meehan applauded the president’s plans to fund a prescription drug benefit and to move forward with a patient’s bill of rights, now stalled in the Senate.
Congressman John Tierney (D-6th) was even more critical, calling Bush’s economic presentation “weak” and saying the speech “was very short on details.”
“As always, the devil is in the details. He didn’t say how he intends to pay for all these things,” he said.
In a statement Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-7th) said: “All Democrats are locked arm and arm with the President in this war against terrorism-our nation’s number one priority. But we don’t want to be in hand to hand combat with the President over the environment, jobs, health care, welfare, energy policy, social security and Medicare,” said Markey.
He likened Bush’s approach to the economy to Enron’s approach to business, saying that both “cover mounting debt with clever accounting.” He said it was time to explore the long-term economic implications of an “irresponsible fiscal policy” including massive tax cuts.
Kennedy in a statement commended Bush’s “leadership on the war front,” and agreed that “our first order of business must be the economy and restoring jobs.” But he endorsed Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle’s economic stimulus plan over Bush’s, which, he said, offered “irresponsible tax breaks for special interests and the wealthy.”
Kennedy also said Bush’s prescription drug benefit offered “inadequate resources for a responsible plan,” and proposed a broader benefit that would cover a wider income range.
“I support the President on the war front, and I’m ready to work with him to meet the urgent challenges on the home front,” Kennedy said.
New Hampshire’s Republican Senators were more enthusiastic. Congressman Bob Smith strongly endorsed Bush’s three-pronged plan, saying his goals would be “vital to the prosperity of New Hampshire and the nation.”
Like Bush, Smith argued in favor of the tax cut, saying it would spur economic growth and provide more jobs.”
Smith, who recently returned from a visit to Afghanistan, also backed Bush’s plans to raise salaries for men and women in the armed forces and to replace worn and outdated equipment. He also said that he was pleased with Bush’s proposal to offer a prescription drug benefit to seniors.
New Hampshire Representative John Sununu (R-1st) agreed with Smith that it would be unwise to postpone the tax cut, as Senator Kennedy has suggested. Overriding last year’s legislation, he said, would “undermine consumer confidence in policymakers, and only make the recession worse.”
Sununu also chastised the Senate for failing to pass legislation last session on energy issues and economic stimulus, saying that delaying “action on these bills as a political tactic is simply wrong.”
Sununu said that Bush’s response to the Enron collapse was adequate. Sununu said he did wish that Bush had addressed special education and veteran’s health care reform in the speech. But his colleague Bass said he was confident that there would be “not only a significant increase in special education funding but a thorough reauthorization of special education which will make it work better” during this session of Congress.
Published in The Eagle-Tribune, in Lawrence, Mass.
