Sununu Looks to the Future
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2002–Permanent tax cuts, a department of homeland security, terrorism insurance and a prescription drug benefit attached to Medicare. During an appearance on “John McLaughlin’s One on One,” Sen.-elect John E. Sununu (R-N.H.) discussed everything from the importance of these issues to an impending war with Iraq to his own recent victory over New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
The program, produced and hosted by John McLaughlin, also featured Sen.-elect Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and will air on Sunday, Nov. 24, on New Hampshire Public Television.
Sununu said that although he supports the president now as he has before, his “primary role is not to work for the re-election of President Bush” but to provide the leadership his constituents are expecting because they want “leadership on issues even if they don’t agree with you all the time.”
He was elected because of the support and visits he received from both the president and First Lady Laura Bush and because he demonstrated the qualities that citizens of New Hampshire want during his campaign against Shaheen when he stood by his beliefs on Social Security despite attack ads against him, Sununu said.
“This is an important issue,” said Sununu, who supports Bush’s private investment plan for Social Security. “Retirees care about their future, and I didn’t shy away from my ideas about Social Security.”
McLaughlin praised Sununu and said he may be instrumental in winning over wavering senators. He “has a very bright future in the Senate and I admire him for sticking to his guns on Social Security,” McLaughlin said during the taping.
When McLaughlin questioned him about how the Republican agenda would fit into a war with Iraq that might cost upwards of $9 billion to $13 billion a month, Sununu, a member of the House Budget Committee, stressed the importance of setting priorities when creating a budget.
“We’ve put together tough budgets before, and we’ll do it in the future,” Sununu said.
He added that it is difficult to estimate how much of the financial burden the United States might carry in a war against Iraq until it is known what part coalition partners will play in sharing those costs.
Alexander and Sununu agreed about the importance of passing bills for terrorism insurance and a Department of Homeland Security, saying that the threat facing the nation is different from what it was 10 to 15 years ago and that the passage of the two bills will help instill confidence in the American people about their protection.
In a post-taping interview, Sununu said his transition from the House to the Senate is going very well and that it is “a busy and exciting time.”
“Finishing work in the House has given me an opportunity to see a lot of friends,” Sununu said. “In the House there are people who are excited about the results of the election, picking up seats and taking back control of the Senate, and the orientation has gone very smoothly, I think, in part because I’m going to be entering the Senate with a number of other new senators that have been friends for years.”
Following the Senate appointment in Alaska to succeed Republican Sen. Frank Murkowski, who won the state’s gubernatorial race, and the resolution of next month’s runoff election in Louisiana, Sununu said he expects to learn his committee assignments. Because of his background and interest in technology and science, he named the banking, commerce or foreign relations committees as his preferences.
Sununu added that he looks forward to working closely with Sen. Judd Gregg, the new senior senator for New Hampshire, and the entire New Hampshire delegation during the next session of Congress.
“We’ll work closely on any issue that has a direct impact on families and the economy back in New Hampshire,” Sununu said. “I don’t think anyone has been happier about my election and regaining the Republican majority than Judd Gregg.”
Published in The Keene Sentinel, in New Hampshire.
