Sununu Votes On The Wrong Side Of Issues In Senate’s First 100 Days

CONCORD – Senator John E. Sununu has stubbornly refused to listen to the will of the people of New Hampshire and has consistently voted on the wrong side of issues important to Granite State families. Since the beginning of the 110th Congress, Sen. Sununu has repeatedly voted against change and has rejected efforts to compromise with the Democratic majority.

Sen. Sununu repeatedly voted to filibuster during the Iraq war debate and voted against resolutions to change course in Iraq. While Senate Democrats passed sweeping reforms in the interests of our national security, Sen. Sununu voted against implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. Sen. Sununu voted against providing funding for critical programs and cutting taxes for the middle class. And yesterday, Senator Sununu voted no as Senate Democrats approved funding for life-saving research into stem cell treatments.

“In 2006, New Hampshire voted overwhelmingly against two do-nothing Republican Congressmen who voted in lockstep with the Bush administration,” said New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley. “Sen. Sununu and his lockstep allegiance to this administration’s failed policies will lose him his job on November 4th, 2008. With the great candidates lining up to take on Sen. Sununu, his days are numbered.”

Since Bush announced his escalation plan, Sununu has repeatedly voted to block debate on Iraq, and personally attempted to avoid answering questions or stating a position on Iraq or Bush’s planned escalation. Twice in February, Sununu joined with his GOP colleagues to filibuster debate on resolutions dealing with Bush’s planned Iraq escalation. In March, Sununu voted three times against changing the course in Iraq by setting a timetable for redeployment of U.S. forces. [Vote 43, 2/5/07; Vote 51, 2/17/07; Vote 75, 3/15/07; Vote 116, 3/27/07; Vote 126, 3/29/07; Washington Post, 2/6/07]

Last month, Sen. Sununu opposed legislation implementing most of the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The bill included several measures designed to practically implement the Commission’s recommendations, including: Improvements in information sharing for the nation’s intelligence and law enforcement community, $3.1 billion in domestic homeland security grants including $542 million for law enforcement anti terrorism activities, $3.3 billion for improvement of interoperable communications, for the nation’s first responders, and $450 million for the installation of bomb detection equipment in the nation’s airports.[Vote 73, 3/13/07; New York Times, 3/14/07; Reuters, 3/13/07; AP, 3/13/07; CQ Today, 3/14/07; DPC Report, 2/28/07]

Last month Sununu opposed the FY 2007 budget resolution. Besides balancing the budget by 2012, the resolution increased funding for veteran’s healthcare, children’s health insurance, education, and extended $180 billion in middle class tax cuts. [Senate Budget Committee, 3/20/07; Conrad Floor Statement, 3/23/07; AP, 3/22/07; Vote 114, 3/23/07]

During that budget debate last month, Sununu also voted against an amendment that would have increased Special Education funding by $44.2 billion over five years – starting with a $10.3 billion increase in 2008. [Vote 94, 3/22/07]

Yesterday, Sununu voted against the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007. The bill would have reversed Bush’s 2001 directive limiting federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. This legislation enjoyed wide bipartisan support as well as the endorsements major medical and scientific associations, research universities and institutions, dozens of patient advocacy organizations and the Bush administration’s top medical researcher, Elias Zerhouni, Director of the National Institutes of Health. [AP, 4/5/07; Vote 127, 4/11/07; Vote 206, 7/18/06, LA Times, 3/20/06]