Carper: President’s Economic Plan Will Cause More Debt, Offer Little Stimulus

Radio Actuality Available: Call 800-511-0763 Box # 4717 Washington, DC – Senator Carper delivered the following statement after President Bush’s State of the Union this evening: “The President’s tax proposal will have little economic impact in the short run but risks increasing the national debt tremendously in the long run. Our economy is stalled and our deficits are mounting. Now is the time for fiscal responsibility, not this tax package,” Carper said. “A real stimulus plan must be fiscally responsible, make an immediate impact, be broad based and be helpful to states struggling with their own deficits. The President’s plan falls short in that regard,” Carper said. The Senator, a retired Navy Captain and Vietnam-era veteran who as a House Democrat voted for the first Gulf War, also urged that inspectors be given more time to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq: “The costs of military action and the rebuilding that must follow in Iraq will be high indeed if America acts alone,” Carper said. “Our nation need not rush to war with Iraq. Before our nation makes the ultimate commitment – the lives of our sons and daughters – there must be a clear and compelling case made for immediate military action against Iraq.”