January 29, 2002

The President should be commended for his leadership in waging the war on terrorism, and for working to make homeland defense a top priority. Obviously, in this time of war, there can be no greater priorities, and our nation stands united behind the President. The President's warm reception before Congress reflects that.

On the home front, I'm pleased to see the President seek to address the ailing economy, but his prescription misses the mark. I supported a tax cut that was fiscally prudent, fair and equitable but frankly, under the President's watch, we've seen record surpluses vanish -- in large measure because of the huge tax cut that disproportionately benefitted top income earners. And to add insult to injury, the President's budget now raids the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds to pay for it. That can only further add unnecessary insecurity for our nation's seniors. And while I'm pleased to see the President offer limited assistance to seniors in the form of prescription drugs, I'm disappointed he chose to only go with a 'band aid' approach when it comes to reforming Medicare.

I do think the President should get credit on a number of fronts, one of which is election reform. This is an issue I care deeply about, and his budget should be considered a good start to help ensure each American's vote is counted. I'm also pleased to see the President recognize that laid off workers desperately need unemployment assistance, and I commend him for extending those benefits.