Foster's Daily Democrat - N.H. To Get More Than $1b In Federal Budget

News Article

President Barack Obama arrives in New Hampshire today a day after releasing a budget the White House says will pump more than $1 billion into Granite State schools, infrastructure and health care.

A White House "fact sheet" says the record $3.8 trillion budget makes a number of key investments in the state, including extending the "Making Work Pay" tax credit for 500,000 residents.

Other highlights include $153.7 million for education and $250 million for roads, highways, airports and water and sewer infrastructure. Another $870 million is slated to help provide health coverage to low-income children and families, but a state official cautioned "that's not new money."

Rather, the White House has divided the entire proposed federal budget by each state based on the number of Medicaid cases and participants in the Children's Health Insurance Program, said Katie Dunn, New Hampshire's Medicaid director.

Dunn said the funding includes a six-month extension in increased federal matching funds for Medicaid, which this year is expected to cost $1.22 billion between the state and federal governments.

Members of New Hampshire's congressional delegation praised aspects of Obama's spending plan while Sen. Judd Gregg, the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, criticized the president for not doing more.

Gregg said the nation's rising deficit requires "a bold, game-changing budget that will turn things around, put in place a plan to restrain spending, reduce the debt and tackle the big entitlement programs that are growing out-of-control. Instead, the president has sent us more of the same -- a budget that claims to be fiscally responsible, but just below the surface contains more spending, more borrowing and more taxes."

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen placed blame for record deficits -- expected to hit $1.6 trillion -- with the Bush administration.

"We need to get back on the track to fiscal responsibility, and the budget outlined by President Obama today balances fiscal discipline with important and necessary job creation measures," she said in a statement.

Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter said she was pleased Obama "is working to reduce the deficit. The out-of-control spending that has plagued Washington over the past decade is simply unsustainable. Upon my initial review, it seems that the president has made some tough choices that will help us get our fiscal house in order."

She said she planned to spent the next several days analyzing the budget's impact on New Hampshire.

Congressman Paul Hodes said he "support the President's call for a nonsecurity spending freeze but I continue to believe more must be done in order to reduce growing Washington deficits."