News Release

January 20, 2004

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Bush Speech to Congress Contains 11 More Initiatives Than Last Year
President proposes 31 new or expanded initiatives, Cato analysis finds

WASHINGTON— In his State of the Union address, President Bush proposed 11 more policy initiatives than he did last year, according to a Cato Institute analysis of the speech.

Tonight, the president outlined 31 new or expanded initiatives, up from 20 initiatives he proposed in last year's address to a joint session of Congress, and significantly fewer than the 104 initiatives proposed by President Clinton in his 2000 State of the Union address. Bush made his 31 proposals in 55 minutes—10 minutes less than last year. This is the sixth year the Cato Institute has tabulated the number of new initiatives proposed in State of the Union addresses. Cato Executive Vice President David Boaz offers the following additional analysis:

"President Bush reaffirmed his commitment to giving younger workers a better deal for their Social Security taxes and allowing all Americans to own real assets as their retirement security. I hope he will make that a key element of his reelection agenda.

"Unfortunately, his proposal for real retirement investments may be the only thing in his program that will reduce the long-term fiscal obligations facing the federal government. Once again, the president has called for fiscal restraint while presenting a laundry list of spending programs and recommending no spending cuts. It doesn't look like there's any real intention to cut back on the fastest spending pace since the Lyndon Johnson administration.

"President Bush declared that 'the American people are using their money far better than government would have'--but in fact his administration has taken 24 percent more of our money than the Clinton administration did. The most striking hypocrisy during the evening was members of Congress giving a standing ovation when Bush called for limiting federal spending and cutting wasteful spending. Congress and the president have cooperated to produce a 24 percent increase in spending in just three years. And the president praised Congress for 'great works of compassion' in creating a huge new prescription-drug entitlement--but it's not actually compassionate to spend other people's money.

"I support the president's tax-reduction agenda, and I applaud his call to make the tax cuts permanent, but tax cuts must be matched with spending cuts, not new spending initiatives from energy subsidies to community colleges to expanded subsidies for political parties through the National Endowment for Democracy.

"President Bush delivered a strong and confident defense of his foreign policies, refusing to acknowledge the American lives being lost every day in Iraq, the unlikelihood of real democracy there, and the growing opposition to U.S. policies around the world that threatens to isolate us from our allies. The administration should be looking for a graceful exit from Iraq, not planning a worldwide crusade for democracy that flies in the face of everything our Founders knew.

"The president called on members of Congress to renew the Patriot Act. I call on members of Congress at least to read the Patriot Act this time--and I'm confident that if they read it, they will realize that it threatens essential American freedoms and should be substantially reformed."

Because the president may announce new initiatives in major policy speeches in the days to come, today's numbers may be revised.

A Summary of the Policy Initiatives Made by President Bush in the State of the Union Address

January 20, 2004

Here is a list of new or expanded initiatives proposed by President Bush earlier tonight:

At Least Read It This Time
1. "...you need to renew the PATRIOT Act."

More Money for Propaganda
2. "...the Voice of America and other broadcast services are expanding their programming in Arabic and Persian."
3. "Soon, a new television service will begin providing reliable news and information across the region."
4. "I will send you a proposal to double the budget of the National Endowment for Democracy, and to focus its new work on the development of free elections, free markets, free press, and free labor unions in the Middle East."

More Money for Job Training
5. "...provide extra help to middle- and high school students who fall behind in reading and math."
6. "...expand Advanced Placement programs in low-income schools"
7. "...invite math and science professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in our high schools."
8. "I propose larger Pell Grants for students who prepare for college with demanding courses in high school."
9. "I propose increasing our support for America's fine community colleges"

Permanent Tax Relief
10. "For the sake of job growth, the tax cuts you passed should be permanent."

Protecting Small Business
11. "...help small business owners and employees with relief from needless Federal regulation"
12. "...protect them from junk and frivolous lawsuits."

Leave No Energy Lobbyist Behind
13. "I urge you to pass legislation to modernize our electricity system."
14. "...promote conservation"
15. "...make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy."

Hope for Social Security
16. "Younger workers should have the opportunity to build a nest egg by saving part of their Social Security taxes in a personal retirement account."

We'll Believe It When We See It
17. "I will send you a budget that funds the war, protects the homeland, and meets important domestic needs, while limiting the growth in discretionary spending to less than four percent."

Let Willing Workers Work
18. "I propose a new temporary worker program to match willing foreign workers with willing employers, when no Americans can be found to fill the job."

Reforming Health Care
19. "I urge you to pass Association Health Plans."
20. "I ask you to give lower-income Americans a refundable tax credit that would allow millions to buy their own basic health insurance."
21. "By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care."
22. "...we must eliminate wasteful and frivolous medical lawsuits."
23. "I propose that individuals who buy catastrophic health care coverage, as part of our new health savings accounts, be allowed to deduct 100 percent of the premiums from their taxes."

Towards a Federal Nanny State
24. "In my budget, I have proposed new funding to continue our aggressive, community-based strategy to reduce demand for illegal drugs."
25. "So tonight I propose an additional 23 million dollars for schools that want to use drug testing as a tool to save children's lives."
26. "We will double federal funding for abstinence programs..."

Giving Religion a Place at the Trough
27. "Tonight I ask you to codify [equal funding for faith-based charities] into law."

Second Chances for Criminals
28. "...expand job training"
29. "...and placement services"
30. "...provide transitional housing"
31. "...help newly released prisoners get mentoring"