I AM THRILLED to see Democratic leaders acknowledge the great position our state is in. Yes, New Hampshire Republicans built a state budget that has produced a surplus of more than $400 million and built the largest rainy day fund balance in state history. Yes, it was Republicans that lowered taxes for small businesses. Yes, New Hampshire Republicans returned more than $300 million in state tax revenue back to cities and towns for roads, bridges and property tax relief. And yes it was state Republicans who fought for increased school choice, transparency and efficiency in our schools.
Claims that somehow our U.S. senators and members of Congress magically made our state budget successful is, frankly, delusional. Yes, let’s give credit where credit is due. Disastrous national policies along with the trillions of stimulus dollars our Democratic delegation supported have led us to record inflation, rising consumer costs across the board, and increased energy prices.
This armchair quarterbacking by our federal delegation is a disservice to New Hampshire citizens, and just plain incorrect. Let’s set the record straight. Our strong fiscal position is the result of responsible budgeting by Republicans, sound revenue estimating by Republicans, pro-economy and pro-business tax policies created by Republicans, and common sense management of state government by Republicans. That is why we are in the position of having a sizable surplus of state funds.
New Hampshire is fortunate to be enjoying historically low unemployment with the fastest growing economy in the nation. That is not by accident — that is by design. Republicans in this state made the necessary changes to boost our economy, create jobs and reduce taxes.
Republicans have proven time and again that smart fiscal management along with empowering the individual to make their own choices drives economic freedom and growth. We have seen it here in New Hampshire, and we are leading the nation by setting new records — our workforce grew by 2,430 individuals with 3,650 more people employed across the state, which resulted in a 2.0% unemployment rate.
We are always looking for ways to build upon our successes and looking ahead to the new term. We have our sights on lessening the financial burdens placed upon our constituents due to bad Democratic policies coming out of Washington.
While D.C. Democrats, including our delegation, are doing nothing to combat inflation or lower energy prices, Republicans here are focused on crafting legislative solutions to make sure New Hampshire families don’t have to choose between food on their table or heating their homes.
Democrat rhetoric claims this energy crisis could have been avoided by embracing their brand of energy policies earlier, but in reality those policies are a big collection of expensive subsidies and unreliable pie-in-the-sky talking points.
That talk makes no sense where we are at today in New Hampshire. The reality right now is that families will soon be facing winter. Most households rely on oil or gas for heat. Unless Democrats think replacing everyone’s home heating system before November is rational, which it is not, then we can only focus on real solutions because New Hampshire has a very real problem.
It’s campaign season and we can expect a lot of ridiculous rhetoric. The next time you see any Democrat taking credit away from our hard-working Republican legislators and state government officials for the work they have done to make our state budget and economy so strong, remember this. They have nothing to run on, and they have resorted to claiming others’ work and successes as their own.
House Speaker Sherman Packard (R-Londonderry) represents Rockingham District 5.