Delegation split on Bush record GOP senators oppose some moves

WASHINGTON – President Bush’s first 100 days in office produced a mixture of pride and disappointment among the Maine congressional delegation, particularly its two Republican senators.

Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins have praised some of the administration’s actions in the last three months, but they’ve been equally as critical of the Texas Republican since he moved into the Oval Office in January.

They were rankled in March when Bush surprisingly announced he would not regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. The decision angered environmentalists, Democrats and some Republicans, including Snowe and Collins, who both have had one-on-one contact with Bush.

“That was a mistake and I’m disappointed,” said Collins, who added that her position was in line with the president before the announcement.

Both senators countered by throwing their support behind measures that would force power plants to reduce four major pollutants – nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury and carbon dioxide – by 2007.

Snowe and Collins also have joined a number of Republicans opposed to the president’s plan to drill for more oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Senate followed the House in dropping from the 2002 budget resolution any revenues for drilling in ANWR.

Moreover, they called the president’s tax cut proposal too large and aimed too much toward the wealthiest Americans.

Snowe, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said she will pursue adjustments in proposed tax cuts to ensure “fairness” for low- and middle-income taxpayers. She is also pushing for a “trigger on tax cuts and new spending,” and wants to modify the phase-in of tax cuts when the committee considers tax-cut legislation in May.

At the same time, Collins said the president deserves credit for being able to gain support for tax cuts when people doubted it could happen. He originally wanted $1.6 trillion in tax cuts, but now is backing down to $1.3 trillion.

“It’s no longer whether we’re going to cut taxes. It is by how much and to whom,” Collins said.

Bush’s proposal needs to be re-worked in an effort to give more relief to families making annual incomes of $25,000 to $100,000, rather than provide the most cuts to top earners, she said.

The first 100 days of Bush’s presidency have some Democrats, including Maine’s two congressmen, noticing a higher level of conservatism coming from the Oval Office than they expected based on Bush’s campaign rhetoric.

“He’s not a Northeastern Republican. He’s a very right-wing conservative Texas Republican and it’s different,” said 1st District U.S. Rep. Tom Allen of Portland. “The first 100 days has been great for the special interests and bad for middle-income Americans.”

The only area where Democrats are willing to praise the president is for the handling of the U.S. spy plane incident, in which 24 crew members were held by Chinese military officials for several days.

“Initially it was difficult, but our sailors were able to come home safely,” said 2nd District U.S. Rep. John Baldacci of Bangor.

The closely won presidential election should warrant a greater effort by the president to reach out to Democrats in Congress, said both congressmen.

“He’s narrowed the base because there’s even disagreement among members of the Republican Party about certain policies,” Baldacci said.

Even though the president has invited Democrats to the White House, both Maine representatives have had little interaction with Bush, whose family has spent many summers in Kennebunkport.

Baldacci said he caught a handshake from the president as he entered the House floor to give his first official address to Congress in February. He asked what region of Maine Baldacci represented as he gripped his hand, then moved on.

Allen said he schmoozed with the president on Air Force One on their way to Portland for a visit last month.

The senators, on the other hand, have had more opportunities to interact with Bush. Collins was one of six senators invited to Austin for an education summit in December before he was sworn in as president. Collins also accompanied the president on his first trip on Air Force One to visit an Army base in Georgia, as well as on his flight to Portland.

“I was able to sit with the president on the trip and bend his ear for an hour and a half on a lot of issues,” Collins said. “I feel fortunate that I’ve had very good access to the president.”

Snowe did not respond to repeated requests for comment.