Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Opening Day For Congress

Aired January 07, 2003 - 14:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The president's package is bound to be a hit on Capitol Hill, where it's opening day for a newly-elected Congress. For the first time since Mr. Bush took office, his Republican Party commands both the House and Senate, and Republican leaders plan to come out swinging.
With more on the new Congress, CNN's Kathleen Koch live on Capitol Hill.

Hi -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.

Well, you know, the Democrats are going to come out swinging right back, and they have been really taking shots at the president's economic stimulus plan since late last week, hurling adjectives like a "Trojan horse," "illusion," "budget buster."

The Democrats say when they look at this package and they compare it to theirs, they say that their economic plan that they put out yesterday does much, much more to help the average American -- middle American sooner, whereas the Bush plan, at least they contend, they say its benefits stretch far, far out into the future and do a lot more to help wealthy Americans, very little to help the middle-class.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), NORTH CAROLINA: They've put ornaments on it to make it look like the plan is focused on regular people, when it is not. It is true that helping people with unemployment benefits is very good. It's money into the economy. Those people need help, that's the right thing to do. It's also true that tax cuts for the middle-class are a good thing, because that money will, in fact, go back into the economy. But what the president is not talking about is that he's accelerating tax cuts for the richest 1 percent of Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Now, there's been a lot of pomp and circumstance here on Capitol Hill today as new members of the House and Senate were sworn in; 34 new senators who were elected in November being sworn into office, and also the leadership coming in.

And of course, we're talking primarily in the Senate about Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, who is taking over as the Republican Senate majority leader in the Senate. Frist spoke out on the floor about the responsibilities that he was assuming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: As majority leader of the United States Senate, I pledge to serve this body, to serve the people of Tennessee and to serve the American people to the best of my ability. I will remain guided by those same timeless principles of our founding documents. And above all, above all, I hope to enable this body to continue to contribute to the greatness of all America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: And of course, there are some new faces in the leadership of the House of Representatives, and one of them making history, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California, after 15 years in the House, taking over as House minority leader. That makes her the highest- ranking woman in the history of the U.S. Congress, and the first woman to lead a major political party. And some of the first items that Congress will be tackling will be extending the federal unemployment benefits to some 800,000 Americans -- jobless Americans, who lost those benefits at the end of last month.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Kathleen Koch on the Hill, thanks so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired January 7, 2003 - 14:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The president's package is bound to be a hit on Capitol Hill, where it's opening day for a newly-elected Congress. For the first time since Mr. Bush took office, his Republican Party commands both the House and Senate, and Republican leaders plan to come out swinging.
With more on the new Congress, CNN's Kathleen Koch live on Capitol Hill.

Hi -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi.

Well, you know, the Democrats are going to come out swinging right back, and they have been really taking shots at the president's economic stimulus plan since late last week, hurling adjectives like a "Trojan horse," "illusion," "budget buster."

The Democrats say when they look at this package and they compare it to theirs, they say that their economic plan that they put out yesterday does much, much more to help the average American -- middle American sooner, whereas the Bush plan, at least they contend, they say its benefits stretch far, far out into the future and do a lot more to help wealthy Americans, very little to help the middle-class.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D), NORTH CAROLINA: They've put ornaments on it to make it look like the plan is focused on regular people, when it is not. It is true that helping people with unemployment benefits is very good. It's money into the economy. Those people need help, that's the right thing to do. It's also true that tax cuts for the middle-class are a good thing, because that money will, in fact, go back into the economy. But what the president is not talking about is that he's accelerating tax cuts for the richest 1 percent of Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Now, there's been a lot of pomp and circumstance here on Capitol Hill today as new members of the House and Senate were sworn in; 34 new senators who were elected in November being sworn into office, and also the leadership coming in.

And of course, we're talking primarily in the Senate about Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, who is taking over as the Republican Senate majority leader in the Senate. Frist spoke out on the floor about the responsibilities that he was assuming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: As majority leader of the United States Senate, I pledge to serve this body, to serve the people of Tennessee and to serve the American people to the best of my ability. I will remain guided by those same timeless principles of our founding documents. And above all, above all, I hope to enable this body to continue to contribute to the greatness of all America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: And of course, there are some new faces in the leadership of the House of Representatives, and one of them making history, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California, after 15 years in the House, taking over as House minority leader. That makes her the highest- ranking woman in the history of the U.S. Congress, and the first woman to lead a major political party. And some of the first items that Congress will be tackling will be extending the federal unemployment benefits to some 800,000 Americans -- jobless Americans, who lost those benefits at the end of last month.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Kathleen Koch on the Hill, thanks so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.