Category: Spring 2006 Newswire
New Hampshire Delegates React to State of the Union
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 – Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H, said he expected President Bush’s State of the Union address to be “a message that is visionary, that gives our nation definition.”
Gregg, in a telephone interview Wednesday before the President’s speech, said he thought Bush should focus on the war in Iraq in the speech. “I think the American people need to be reminded again about the threat that confronts us,” said Gregg, “that this is a real war, that these people want to do us immense harm.”
The senator also reiterated his recent concerns with the future of the economy. “I do think we need to, as a nation, start to face up to the cost which, when the baby boomers retire, they’re going to put on our children and our children’s children to support them,” said Gregg.
Sen. John E. Sununu, R-N.H., also has concerns about the economy. “It is imperative that we maintain the pace of economic growth that we’ve seen over the last two years,” he said in a statement released before the speech. “We can do much more to improve and simplify the tax code, and make sure key provisions are permanent in order to give entrepreneurs incentives to make long-term investments,” said Sununu.
Sununu also said he believes that health care issues will affect the long-term well-being of the economy. “Small and medium-sized businesses in New Hampshire are always talking about improving access to health care because it makes a significant difference in their ability to recruit and maintain quality employees,” said Sununu.
Rep. Jeb Bradley cited similar concerns. “By allowing individuals to maintain health savings accounts, giving small businesses the ability to pool resources together to offer health care to employees through association health plans, and preventing frivolous medical practice lawsuits, we can begin to lower costs for everyone,” Bradley said in a statement released before the address.
The “substandard of health care” and medical liability were also on Rep. Charles Bass’s mind. “In some parts of New Hampshire it is impossible now to get specialists in rural areas because of the cost of malpractice insurance,” said Bass in a telephone interview before the speech. “Malpractice insurance doesn’t cost much if your revenue is huge, but if you’re up in Coos County and you only have two or three dozen patients, it’s just impossible to practice.”
Along with health care, Bass also is concerned about energy. He said that anything he hears in the President’s speech “about developing alternatives to oil, gas and coal is going to be music to my ears.”
“I’m a long time advocate of wind, solar, biomass and anything he says in that area is going to be helpful to New Hampshire which is the second most dependant state on heating oil of any state in the country,” said Bass.
###
New Hampshire Delegates React to State of the Union — Update
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -New Hampshire's Republican congressional delegation said they were impressed with President Bush's State of the Union Speech last night and the initiatives he unveiled including funding for alternative energy development.
Rep. Charles Bass said he was excited to hear about the President's plan for energy research and the proposed Advanced Energy Initiative. "What struck me the most was his initiative on alternative energy. certainly a bold change from his previous position on it," said Bass in a phone interview following the speech last night.
"It really translates into legislation that makes a huge difference for a state like New Hampshire." Bass said that he was surprised by the strength of his plan for research of alternative energy.
In his speech, Bush called for a 22-percent increase in federal funding for clean energy research, more investment in zero emission coal-fired plants and more funding for solar and wind technologies.
The President also called for legislation to ban human cloning which Bass applauded. "Nobody supports human cloning including me," said Bass. "I noted that he mounted opposition to human cloning but not necessarily to a stem cell research bill that passed Congress last year which I was one of the prime sponsors of."
President Bush also introduced the American Competitiveness Initiative which would focus on improving math and science education. Senator Gregg, who was a supporter of Bush's No Child Left Behind education initiative, agreed with the president's proposal. "I think this is something that we need to do, we're clearly falling behind in math, science especially," he said in a phone interview following the speech.
Gregg said that he thought the president did a superb job in the address. "I thought it was very visionary and very thematic and very upbeat and very positive and turned to some of his basic goals - for children to be educated and address the big issues such as the baby boom generation," he said.
Senator Sununu said that he thought the president's speech was better than in years past. "I thought there was much more focus than what I've heard from frankly President Clinton, or more recent speeches by President Bush," he said.
Sununu said that he thought there were three issues that were emphasized that will make both a short and long term difference in the economy. The first was "getting a tax code that encourages investment and entrepreneurship and making those tax cuts permanent."
The second was improving access to healthcare. "You have to be able to retain and attract good workers if you're going to maintain productivity and competitiveness," he said.
The third was investing in science and mathematics. "Those help drive innovation and development of new intellectual property across the entire spectrum of the economy," he said.
Overall Sununu thought the message was strong. It "reminded us how much progress we've made around the world in the last 60 years, going from just two dozen democracies to over a 120 and that's something America should be very proud of," he said.
Rep. Bradley thought the President's speech showed that he was an effective leader, especially in the war in Iraq. "I thought he did a really good job of talking about the importance of fighting the war on terror," he said.
Overall Bradley said, "I thought the president did a good job of outlining the need for the Patriot Act and why it needs to be reauthorized, and I also thought that his tone, while it was strong and principled, it was also bipartisan."
House Democrats React to President’s Speech
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31-House Democrats from Massachusetts were largely critical of President George Bush's State of the Union address last night, especially in regards to U.S. involvement in Iraq.
"The President failed to outline a realistic plan to bring our troops home," U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern (D-Worcester), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement released before the address.
U.S. Rep. John W. Olver (D-Amherst) also was critical of Mr. Bush. "We certainly should not be 'staying the course,'" Mr. Olver said in a statement before the speech. "Instead, the President needs to focus all of his efforts on successfully getting us out of Iraq."
However, seventh-term U.S. Rep Marty Meehan (D-Lowell) welcomed the President's call to end dependence on foreign oil. In an excerpt from the address released by the White House before the speech, Mr. Bush said, "America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from the unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology."
In a statement before the speech Mr. Meehan said, "For too long the administration's proposals have been drilling, drilling, and more drilling. We can't drill our way to energy independence, we have to invest in renewable sources that are clean, efficient, and affordable."
Mr. McGovern, who was extremely critical of Republican tax cuts, said that the budget deficit is "exploding" and accused Mr. Bush of ignoring the "people who really need help."
"He wants to make his tax cuts for the wealthy permanent, which is just crazy. Our deficit is exploding and the people who really need help, the people in the middle and those trying to get into the middle, are ignored by President Bush and his Republican allies in Congress," said McGovern in his statement.
The President should seek to reach out a hand to the poor and not just the strong, said U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Springfield) in a telephone interview before the speech. "The President needs to spend a lot of time on the confusion surrounding the [Medicare] prescription drug bill."
"The only people benefiting from the prescription drug benefit are the executives at the drug companies and insurance companies," said Mr. McGovern.
Mr. Meehan also expressed concern over Mr. Bush's health care proposal. "Our health care system is in need of reform, but I don't know that the President's proposal will really benefit average consumers," said Mr. Meehan.
Mr. Olver, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, said the Bush administration "should focus on securing our nation's ports and energy infrastructure" instead of implementing a program of domestic spying.
"The President should seek a common ground on domestic spying," said Mr. Neal, who is currently serving his ninth term in the House.
Mr. Olver said Mr. Bush had not done enough to prepare the country for emergency situations. "The administration's response to Hurricane Katrina proved that, four years after September 11, 2001, our country is still not prepared to adequately respond to a terrorist attack," he said. "And the New Orleans disaster was no surprise attack."
###
-30-
Connecticut Delegation Offers Strong Words on Bush’s Speech
By Adam Kredo
WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 - Although television viewers sat through countless standing ovations at the President's State of the Union address on Tuesday, not everyone from the Connecticut delegation agreed with the President's plans for the economy, Iraq and the nation's mounting deficit.
"I would have liked to hear the President drop his demands for a permanent tax cut for the wealthiest Americans," said Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) in a statement.
Lieberman said such tax cuts would most likely "come at the expense of programs that help [our nation's] neediest."
Instead, the country's tax policy should "be one of fairness to working families, and should not result in increasing our deficit," Lieberman said.
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) criticized Bush's "reckless" fiscal policies.
"The president continues to push for tax cuts for those who need it the least," Dodd said in a statement.
He added that the President's "shortsightedness extends to failing to recognize the tremendous struggle middle class families are facing when it comes to their financial security."
Dodd attributes problems in the economy and consumer confidence to "skyrocketing energy costs." Moreover, he said too many people lack health care. "That is wrong. we can do better," Dodd said in his statement.
Taking a different approach to the President's comments on energy, Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) said he thought that Bush spoke more directly than he had in the past.
"I think it's important that this Texan who grew up on oil is saying we're addicted to the stuff and we need to go in a different direction," Shays said in a telephone interview.
Regarding energy independence and security, Lieberman urged the President to support his recently proposed legislation to reduce America's oil consumption by 10 million barrels a day.
Lieberman noted that "we remain a nation at war."
Dodd said he is frustrated by the fact that President Bush failed to offer a concrete timetable for bringing the nation's troops home from Iraq.
"Our troops are still valiantly fighting on the streets of Iraq and Afghanistan," Dodd said in his statement. "The President still has yet to offer a concrete strategy for bringing this conflict to an end."
Shays was pleased by Bush's "direct" discussion of Iraq.
"This President was not avoiding Iraq," Shays said. "When you're talking about opportunity for Iraqis to have democracy as opposed to dictatorship, that sounds like civil rights to me."
The legislators expressed hope for a bipartisan approach to solving problems.
"Now more than ever, it is imperative that he reach out to work collectively to address our nation's many pressing challenges," Dodd said in his statement.
"I want action," said Shays. "What I think we need is for Congress - Republicans and Democrats - to work more closely with each other. We have a constitutional responsibility to make sure we're doing proper oversight. I have real determination that this will happen."
Area Mayors Meet in the Nation’s Capital to Address Local Issues
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26- Mayor Michael J. Sullivan can usually be found in his Lawrence office, but this week he reported to work in the nation's capital. Sullivan is one of 200 mayors here for the winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
"I came to the conference because I like to meet the mayors from other cities and apply some of the ways that they operate their cities to the issues that I might be facing at home," Sullivan said Wednesday, the first day of the conference.
Sullivan, who met with Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino to discuss problems of violence, gangs and illegal drugs, said that with the help of the community he wants to launch a City Safe Initiative to bring together Lawrence schools, police and courts. "I want people to gather together as a city of caring to help our youth," he said.
Representatives of the nonprofit organization Americans for the Arts met with Sullivan to discuss options for Lawrence's newly renovated multipurpose arena. "I want to bring back ideas of what other cities have done with their arenas such as boxing, wrestling and concerts," Sullivan said. The mayor said he hopes the arena, which is the third largest in the state, will draw people to Lawrence from outside the community.
Sullivan, a Realtor, is working with the Realtors' Ambassadors for Cities program to promote home ownership and affordable housing opportunities. Lawrence currently receives $3 million a year in federal Community Development Block Grants, Sullivan said, and the partnership with Ambassadors for Cities will allow him to apply for additional funds from the program.
Haverhill also receives Community Development Block Grants, but Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini said cuts in this year's federal budget may be bad news for the town. Fiorentini said he was attending the mayors conference "to lobby to keep receiving money for things like meals on wheels, the Salvation Army and the police. These programs have a great impact on citizens of Haverhill."
Fiorentini said he met with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., to discuss funds for better nursing services for Haverhill elderly. The mayor said the city has sought grants to reuse old factory buildings and revitalize the downtown area, as well as to dredge the Merrimack River. Haverhill faces a $15 million to $20 million cleanup project, and without federal aid the burden will fall on Haverhill taxpayers, Fiorentini said.
"I want to see what other mayors are doing in terms of government efficiency and planning, and I'm hoping to listen and lobby, and that's why I'm here," Fiorentini said.
###
Gregg Supports Additional Budget Cuts
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 - Although President Bush will not submit his budget for the 2007 fiscal year until Feb. 6, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., has already expressed his intention to cut spending next year.
"In a very short period of time, our nation will face a financial crisis because the federal government has made commitments to America's retirees that threaten to overwhelm our economy," Gregg said in a statement Thursday.
"It is critical that we continue to hold the line on spending to put our fiscal house back in order," he said, citing concerns that without stricter fiscal discipline, future generations would not "enjoy the same economic security and opportunities that we do."
At a press conference on Wednesday, Gregg, who is chairman of the Budget Committee, said the nation cannot afford a government as expensive as it now stands.
"I'm not here to be a potted plant," Gregg said at the press conference, according to CQ Today. "If we are going to do a budget, it's going to be a serious budget."
These remarks came before the Congressional Budget Office released its economic outlook Thursday.
According to the Budget Office's analysis, in 2006 the federal budget will report a deficit of $337 billion, which does not include up to $25 billion that may be necessary for the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina relief.
The Budget Office's report projects deficits for the next decade, mainly attributable to the costs of health care and Social Security. Although the office projected a balanced budget in 2012 before red ink returns, Gregg said that there are still cuts to be made.
The report comes as the House prepares to vote on the Deficit Reduction Act, which is projected to save $40 billion over the next five years by controlling the growth of mandatory spending. including changes in Medicaid and funds for student loans. The House passed an earlier version of the bill but must vote on it again because of changes in the Senate version.
Gregg was a major proponent of the act in the Senate and has expressed his belief that this bill is the right step in controlling budget problems. However, to continue the bill's success, he said, it is important to address short-term deficits and to maintain "strict discipline over non-defense discretionary spending."
Gregg will chair a hearing of the Budget Committee on Feb. 2 to consider the Budget Ofice report. Donald Marron, acting director of the Congressional Budget Office, will testify.
###
Maine Delegation: Where the Money Comes From
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26-No members of the Maine congressional delegation accepted money from indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. But they have raised considerable campaign funds from industry and labor political action committees.
Abramoff has plead guilty to charges of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials in a deal that requires him to provide testimony against unnamed members of Congress. His indictment has sparked a flurry of activity aimed at overhauling the rules for lobbyists' interactions with Congress.
"I think our delegation is not as influenced by their donors because their seats are relatively safe," said associate professor of political science James Melcher at the University of Maine Farmington.
Sen. Susan Collins, as the chairwoman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, is in charge of examining the reform proposals now before the Senate.
"We must act to strengthen the laws governing disclosure and ban practices that erode public confidence in the integrity of government decisions," Collins said at a meeting of her committee on Wednesday.
Congress, she said, needed to limit the access to members of former members who are now lobbyists, to end the practice of lobbyists' paying for vacations that masquerade as fact-finding trips and to end the rampant abuse of earmarking, or tacking on spending for projects to unrelated bills.
In her last election, in 2002, Collins raised $4,266,392, according to the Center for Responsive Politics' Web site, opensecrets.org, which compiles records from the Federal Election Commission. Of that total, 58 percent was from individual donors, but Collins still received more than $1.5 million from political action committees.
Collins' largest contributor was MBNA Corp., the credit card giant and one of the largest employers in the state of Maine. MBNA employees and PACs donated $86,750 to her campaign. At the time, MBNA was pushing for a reform of the bankruptcy code, which would mean millions more in profits for them. President Bush signed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 last year after seven failed attempts to pass similar legislation.
Collins said that she had supported bankruptcy reform for years, and with so many employees in Maine that it was no surprise that her campaign had received a lot of money from the company.
Collins has raised $68,557 this election cycle. Some $32,700 of that comes from individual donors who gave $200 or more.
Many of the senators at Wednesday's Government Affairs hearing complained that they had to travel all over the country to raise money. Senate campaigns are usually the most expensive statewide campaigns.
Unlike her junior colleague and fellow Republican, Sen. Olympia Snowe is up for reelection this year. She has raised some $1,475,205 so far, according to opensecrets.org, which is based on FEC reports from Jan. 4. However, her campaign manager, Lucas Caron, said that the campaign reported $2.2 million in a more recent filing.
According to opensecrets.org, 54 percent of that came from individual donors and about 39 percent from PACs.
Snowe has raised $756,131 from individual contributions of $200 or more, with 36 percent of that from Maine donors. Caron said many non-Mainers respect Snowe for her moderate stance and bipartisan approach to politics and give money to her campaign.
Opensecrets.org reports that the insurance and finance industry PACs were the largest donors, contributing more than $100,000 through last October,. including $6,500 from MBNA.
Caron said that PACs generally donate to candidates whom they agree with on the issues. Snowe, as a fiscal conservative, votes in ways that the insurance and finance industries like.
As for lobbying reform, Sen. Snowe has signed onto Sen. John McCain's bill, which calls for more disclosure of lobbying activities.
Maine's two Democratic House members also are pushing for lobbying reform. Rep. Michael Michaud of the Second District has co-sponsored bills that would eliminate lobbyist-sponsored travel, investigate ethics lapses and require that members be able to review legislation for at least 24 hours before it is voted on. Recently the leadership has pushed some bills through after midnight and without any advance notice.
"Honest leadership is not a partisan goal," Michaud said in a statement. "It is the key to a stronger country and a value that we all share, and that we should all expect from our government."
Rep. Tom Allen of the First District co-sponsored the Special Interest Lobbying and Ethics Accountability Act of 2005 with Rep. Martin Meehan (D-Mass.).
Michaud's campaign had raised $228,890 as of Jan.4, with about 72.2 percent if it from PACs, according to opensecrets.org. Monica Castellanos of his office said that historically contributions move more toward individual donations by Election Day. In 2004, 41 percent of his campaign money was from individuals, and in 2002 it was 46 percent.
Labor has given his campaign $75,000 so far, or 54 percent of his total PAC contributions. Michaud is a member of the United Steel Workers (the USW PAC has donated $1,000 to his campaign), which mergedwith the Paper, Allied-Industrial Chemical and Energy Workers International Union . Michaud worked at the Great Northern Paper Company in Millinocket for 30 years.
Michaud has received $43,250 in individuals donations of $200 or more this election cycle, with 75 percent of that money from Maine.
Rep. Allen also has received a lot of money from labor: $41,000 for this election, or 57 percent of his total PAC contributions, according to opensecrets.org.
Allen has raised $210,447 this election, with 59 percent from individuals. Of the individual contributions of $200 or more, 81 percent are from Maine.
###
Shays Calls For Full-Funding of Block Grant Program
By Adam Kredo
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 - In a letter to President Bush this week, Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and 28 other members of Congress have called for full funding of the Community Development Block Grant program in the President's forthcoming fiscal 2007 budget proposal.
"We encourage the administration to propose funding for this vital program at traditional levels and continue to have CDBG administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development," the letter said.
The letter highlights the importance of community involvement in deciding how the federal money is spent. And in a press release, Shays said, "Community Development Block Grant dollars allow local communities to determine priorities for community development. They have a tremendously positive impact on the cities and towns."
"I believe in this program," Shays said in an interview. "The money is spent exceptionally well" by the local communities.
Shays said he finds the idea of cuts in the program "mind-boggling."
Communities receiving block grants are allowed to decide how to spend the money, which is why many supporters of the program want to keep it fully funded.
"These are some of the most flexible funds local municipalities have," said Larry Kluetsch, executive director of the Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut.
Mainly programs would be affected by a decrease in federal grant money, according to community program managers.
"The less money we're given, the less money we have for the [low-income] people who apply to our programs," said Michael Moore, senior community development project manager for the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency.
Because of the bipartisan efforts of more than 180 House members and 55 senators, the grants remained unaltered last year. As a result, Norwalk received more than $1 million, according to a press spokesperson for Shays.
Shays' letter said the block grant program "has been a vital tool in helping to rebuild communities for the last 30 years."
"As you mentioned in your speech in New Orleans on January 12," the letter to the President said, the block grant program "is playing an important role in helping to aid recovery in the Gulf States in the wake of Hurricane Katrina."
In this instance, the block grants empowered the New Orleans community to rectify local programs on their own, while continuing to support the area's neediest citizens, according to the letter.
###
Gregg Finds Flaws in the U.S.-VISIT Program
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 - The United States needs a better exit strategy for foreign visitors, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., said at a subcommittee hearing Wednesday.
Gregg cited the inability to chart the exit of non-citizens from the country as one of the shortcomings of the current system, called the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program.
"This truly is the backbone of our capacity to determine who's coming into the country and whether they are going to cause us harm, and if they're coming in illegally, then it is a critical feature of infrastructure," said Gregg, who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.
The program requires that all non-citizens traveling to the United States be processed through the Department of Homeland Security. For air or sea travel, this process requires that biometrics, including digital photographs, and finger scans, be taken when travelers apply for a visa and again when they arrive in the United States.
For land travel, biometrics are taken of any non-Mexicans and non-Canadians crossing the border at U.S. points of entry. Entry procedures have been implemented at most land borders and international airports and seaports, but exit procedures are in place at only 12 airports and two seaports.
Although entry procedures are in place in both Manchester and Portsmouth, New Hampshire is not one of the states that is currently testing exit procedures. Gregg said that the program will not be a success unless the exit procedures are also in place and that "we still don't see an exit program that works."
The Department of Homeland Security, on its Web site, acknowledges that exit procedures are necessary "to demonstrate compliance" with visitors' terms of admission to the country.
Since the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program began in July 2003, more than a thousand known criminals and immigration law violators have been intercepted, said James A. Williams, the program's director, who was one of two witnesses at the hearing.
However, he said, there were still steps that needed to be taken. "We cannot continue to use 20th century tools," Williams said.
Also testifying was Randolph C. Hite, the director of the Information Technology Architecture and Systems Issues of the Government Accountability Office. He said the Department of Homeland Security is updating and advancing its entry and exit procedures. This includes replacing the two-finger scan with a 10-finger scan when the technology is available.
These updates also will affect land crossings to and from states that border Canada or Mexico. For example, come Jan. 1, 2008, New Hampshire citizens who frequently travel to Canada will find that they are unable to cross the border unless they have a passport.
The passport requirement is one of the final steps in implementing the program, and it had created concerns about a possible decline in tourism and commerce. Also, beginning Jan. 1, 2007, all persons traveling between Canada and the United States via ferry will be required to present passports upon arrival and departure, a requirement intended to prevent tourists without proper identification from visiting.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said that many citizens believe these requirements have already been implemented and that it may have prevented many people from crossing the borders who do not have passports.
Many states that border Canada share the concern that added steps at entry points may hinder travel. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said that "special attention needs to be paid to people who live on the northern tier."
####
Lieberman Out to Overhaul Lobbying in Washington
By Sara Hatch
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 - The one word on everyone's lips in Washington these days is lobbying. Journalists are writing about it. Members of Congress are worried about it. And Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) is trying to reform it.
Lieberman is a co-sponsor of a lobbying overhaul bill introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in response to the indictments of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and one of his associates. Sen. McCain testified before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which Lieberman is the senior Democrat, in a hearing Wednesday on lobbying reform.
In an interview after the hearing, Lieberman said Abramoff's behavior amounted to "an outrageous corruption of what's supposed to be a constitutional right that people have to be represented before the government, but it was all about money.
"It was not only spreading money around to members of Congress in a way that was obsessive or raises suspicions about whether you can buy legislation here, but he really extorted and conned a lot of his clients, including particularly the Native American tribes, out of unbelievable amounts of money which they didn't need to pay."
Lieberman received $1,000 in a campaign contribution in the 2001-02 election cycle from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, one of Abramoff's clients, but no money from Abramoff himself, according to capitaleye.org, a money-in-politics newsletter published by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
In his remarks before the committee, Lieberman stressed that this is the time for action and that the practices that have gone on in the past cannot continue.
"The consequences of Abramoff's crimes are so antithetical to our way of governance and so embarrassing to Congress that Democrats and Republicans, House members and Senators, agree Congress must act. And we will," Lieberman said. "In government, we must hold ourselves, and be held to, a higher standard - to do not just what is legal, but what is right."
Lieberman added that this is more than just about money; it is also about restoring trust.
"The behavior of Mr. Abramoff and his associates undercuts that trust and sends the message that in Washington, results go to the highest bidder, not to the greatest public good," he said.
Lieberman and McCain said their bill is aimed at requiring fuller disclosure of gifts and other benefits lobbyists provide to members of Congress but would avoid what they characterized as more radical proposals for a total ban on congressional involvement with lobbyists.
Their bill also would double the cooling-off period to two years for members of Congress, senior congressional staff and some executive branch officials who wish to lobby Congress after leaving government service.
All of the senators on the committee called for a bipartisan commitment to lobby reform.
"We know the response must be bipartisan," Lieberman said.
He added, "We cannot and will not let partisanship or institutional defensiveness stop us from achieving that goal."
###
