N.H. Delegation Backs Bush Plans
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2- New Hampshire’s all-Republican Congressional delegation cheered the agenda President George Bush announced last night during the State of the Union Address.
“I think the president’s speech was probably the strongest and clearest State of the Union I’ve heard in my eight years in Congress,” Sen. John Sununu said after the speech. “I think his vision is a powerful one.”
The President’s hour-long speech focused primarily on his Social Security plan and included an outline of how personal retirement accounts would work and offered evidence on the importance of solving the problem this congressional session. Both New Hampshire senators are expected to play central roles in the already contentious debate on the issue.
“It’s like that old ad, you can pay me now or pay me later,” Sen. Judd Gregg said in a statement. “And the sooner we get on it, the less it’s going to cost the American taxpayers to make sure that our children have the same lifestyle we have, maintain the lifestyle of the entire population.”
Sununu agreed. “We certainly need to solve [Social Security] within our children’s lifetime.
“Democrats seem to insist that there’s no problem at all. It’s unconscionable to pretend that the system is not in danger,” he added. “The fact that the number of spenders per worker. went down from 30 to 2 workers presents a serious problem…. They looked like they were sticking their heads in the sand, like the problem didn’t exist, and they refuse to offer any ideas.”
On the foreign policy side, Bush built upon his recent inaugural address. Offering recent democratic elections in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine as proof the fight to spread democracy is taking hold in the Middle East, Bush called for the expansion of freedom around the world.
Sununu, who observed the Palestinian elections, said the $350 million in aid the president promised for security, economic and political reforms there was a “very significant commitment.”
“I think it’s the right response given the steps already made in putting forces on the Gaza border,” he continued. “That money will be well received and I think the new Palestinian leadership has shown a commitment to real reform.”
Bush also touched on other domestic issues including the environment, education, health care and immigration. He also called on Congress to cut the deficit in half over the next four years while maintaining tax cuts and revamping Social Security.
“It can be done if Congress has the will to do it,” Gregg said in an interview. “We need to bring fiscal order to our house. It is very important and maintaining the tax policy helps Americans keep more of their money.”
“I think he laid out and intense agenda and we do need to continue to work on the prosperity of our country and that’s why tax simplification is important,” Rep. Jeb Bradley said in an interview. “I am a member of the Budget Committee now and I will work to cut unnecessary programs and make mandatory programs more effective and cut out wasteful spending wherever possible.”
Rep. Charles Bass said he agreed with Bush on most issues but thought his Clean Skies Act should go further. “His Clean Skies act isn’t helpful, and it doesn’t address long term automobile gas emission elimination,” Bass said in an interview. “My bill establishes a carbon monoxide framework which I think is an important framework to address the issue of global warming.”
