| Offices : Beckley • Charleston • Fairmont • Martinsburg • Washington, DC | E-mail Senator Rockefeller |
February 27, 2001
REMARKS FROM SENATOR JAY ROCKEFELLER ON PRESIDENT BUSH'S 2001 STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
"I agree with many of the things that President Bush said, especially when he stated that Americans deserve a tax cut. However, I am concerned that the President’s tax plan won’t give West Virginian families their fair share. I am also concerned that the President’s tax plan is too risky and appears to raid the Social Security and Medicare trust funds.
"Now is the time – with huge budget surpluses – to protect Social Security and Medicare, to pay down the national debt, and to pay for important priorities like education and a Medicare prescription drug benefit. Last year alone, American tax payers paid over $200 billion dollars in interest on the national debt. Instead of throwing this money away, West Virginians could have used that money to pay for job training, college, or health care for their children.
"That’s why I believe that a far more responsible tax plan would allow us to use 1/3 of the surplus for a tax cut aimed at working families, 1/3 to pay down the national debt, and the remaining 1/3 to shore up Social Security and Medicare.
"I am also concerned that President Bush did not address America’s steel crisis. This is truly an emergency situation for West Virginia and the nation. If the Administration does not take action now, not only will our steel companies collapse, but we will be jeopardizing our economy and national security.
"President Bush has outlined his goals for 2001. My biggest concern, however, is whether these goals will translate into a better, stronger, more prosperous West Virginia.
"I am committed to working with President Bush and his Administration. My goal is to ensure that the agenda he has outlined this evening will indeed create jobs, improve health care and transportation, and ensure a better quality of life for every West Virginian - young and old."
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