Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bill Frist (R-TN) delivered the Republican response to President Clinton’s State of the Union address, focusing their remarks on education and health care.
Noting that last year Republicans provided $500 million more for education than the President requested, Sen. Collins said that education was at the “top of the Republican agenda.” She outlined a “Four-Point Plan for Educational Excellence” that would increase federal spending on elementary and secondary education, give localities greater control over how to spend federal education money, strengthen teaching excellence, and enable more families to afford higher education.
Criticizing the President’s health care proposals, Sen. Frist said that Republican proposals would give Americans “choice and security.” Highlighting the need to reform Medicare, Sen. Frist announced that the Senate would consider bipartisan Medicare reform legislation within two weeks. He also stated that Republicans would add Medicare to the Social Security lockbox. Additionally, Sen. Frist said Congress would send the President a patients’ bill of rights that provided strong patient protections and left lawsuits “as a last resort.”
In addition to highlighting education and health, Republicans reiterated their pledge to fight for tax relief, including reducing the “death tax.”
