By Susan Jones
CNS Morning Editor
28 January, 2000

(CNSNews.com) – Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) Friday answered the question about how accommodating Republicans will be when it comes to the proposals that President Clinton made in his State of the Union address.

“There are some areas there that we’re going to work together – we need to,” said Lott.

He singled out balancing the budget for the third year in a row, working to protect Social Security, and paying down the debt as areas of general agreement. But Lott said he hopes to “find some accommodation on education .. on trying to repair the damage that’s been done to the defense of our country,” and on tax cuts for working Americans.

In an interview on NBC’s Today show, Lott told Katie Couric there are some areas where it’s increased domestic spending may be justified, and he said education is one of those areas. “We need to work with people at the local and state level to help them, give them more flexibility about how the money is used, but also expect some accountablility.”

It was not only Clinton’s longest speech – it was his most expensive one, Lott said, noting that Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico had crunched the numbers. If Republicans did everything Clinton asked, it would cost American taxpayers $3.8 billion dollars for every minute of Clinton’s 89-minute speech.

As for Clinton’s projected $350 billion long-term tax cut, Lott said fairness is what counts. “We could probably do some of it,” he said, “but I think we need to do a lot more than that. I agree with [George W. Bush,] that if we have these big surpluses that are now projected, we should use it to protect Social Security, pay down the debt, but we shouldn’t just leave it washing around Washington.”

Lott said, “The President really does still believe that Washington is the best place for solutions, that Washington should tell you what to do … I still have faith in individuals, communities, and states — let them decide how best to use their money — so I’d like to return it to them, and let them make that call.”

In response to a question, Lott called Sen. John McCain’s tax proposal “totally inadequate.”

On the proposal that gun buyers be licensed, Lott said the whole goal is to make this a political issue in an election year. “We’re not going to do what he proposes,” said Lott. “He knows it. Why’s he doing it? He’s doing it for pure political reasons. But I understand that. Maybe it’s part of a legacy he’s seeking.”

“We have plenty of gun laws,” Lott said. “We need to reinforce — double, triple our effort to punish people that abuse and misuse guns in the commission of crimes, or in the sale of guns – we’ll join with him in helping that. We think there’s more government dictates in Washington, more interference with people’s liberties and freedoms in America — It’s not just the way to go.”