Local Delegation Reviews Bush’s Budget with New Hampshire Concerns in Mind
WASHINGTON, Feb. 05–Members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation have pledged to introduce Granite State priorities – including a new access road to the Manchester Airport, the purchase of International Paper Co.’s lands for conservation and increased funds for low-income heating assistance – into President George W. Bush’s $2.13 trillion budget proposal, which calls for substantial defense spending increases and another round of tax cuts.
“The president’s budget reflects the extraordinary times the country is facing,” John Sununu (R-NH), the vice chairman of the House Budget Committee, said. “He set his priorities in the State of the Union – homeland defense and security, getting the economy moving once again, and I think these will continue.”
Now it’s the members’ turn to advance New Hampshire’s concerns as they review the budget for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
“The [Manchester Airport] access road is one of the state’s highest priorities,” said Sununu, who expressed confidence the state will receive the necessary transportation funds.
Rep. Charles Bass (R-NH), also a member of the Budget Committee, pledged to keep the access road in mind when preparing the House’s version of the budget.
“As a former member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I worked to secure $12.2 million to enhance the state’s access to its largest airport,” Bass said in a statement. “This project will be important to the state’s economy.”
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, pledged to get more money for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). He and other members of the state delegation are upset that this year’s money for the program has not yet been made available, and Gregg is disturbed by the amount that Bush has included in his budget for next year.
“They have put a number in of $1.7 billion for LIHEAP [heating assistance], which was the number about three years ago, down from $2 billion, so I’ll be working within the Budget Committee to see if we can’t adjust that number upwards.” Gregg said.
“This is a program that’s important ยท in the Northeast,” Gregg said, “especially for retired people who live on low income and have a real problem when their heating bills go up.”
Bass said he would work to secure additional federal money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to purchase an easement on International Paper Co.’s land in the North Country and dedicate part of the land to wilderness uses. Sununu joined Bass in pledging to work closely with Sen. Gregg to bring the land deal to fruition.
Bush’s proposed budget would reduce Environmental Protection Agency spending by approximately $500 million. A spokesperson for the Environment and Public Works Committee, on which Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH) is the senior Republican, said the proposed cutbacks could potentially affect some environmental projects near and dear to the Granite State.
Smith, the only member of the New Hampshire delegation who does not sit on a budget committee, said he hopes the Senate will approve legislation he has introduced that would return to New Hampshire citizens “even more of their hard-earned money.” His proposals include a ban on state commuter taxes, an end to collection of the federal income tax on tips and full deductibility of state and local property taxes from the federal income tax, he said in a statement.
Bass, in a statement, said that he is “concerned about the impact of the President’s proposed budget on the federal deficit.”
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks erased $177 billion of revenues previously expected for 2002, the budget says, and spending to respond to the attacks cost an additional $31 billion. Changed economic and technical factors reduced the surplus by $1.345 trillion, according to the budget.
“If we are going to win this war, we must be prepared to invest in it,” Smith said in his statement. “As a fiscal conservative, I continue to monitor the annual rate of growth for our federal budget.”
Published in The Union Leader, in Manchester, New Hampshire
