The Bush administration's Energy Development Task Force is scheduled to release a much-anticipated report today, detailing the president's energy policy. The plan is expected to include a push for conservation, calls for some tax credits for renewable energy resources and encouragement for the production of oil, gas, coal and nuclear power.
Democrats are already criticizing the plan as the energy industry's dream and an environmentalist's nightmare. On Tuesday, House Democrats introduced their own plan which placed a stronger emphasis on the importance of conservation efforts than the president's plan and also called for the government to force down electricity prices.
The Bush administration has wasted no time in making known its dissatisfaction with the Democrats' plan, particularly the price control measure. "Price controls will make the matter worse and make the crisis last longer," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Tuesday.
The administration is addressing criticism on another front: last week, the president nominated John P. Walters to head the White House Office of National Drug Policy -- a man, some groups claim, is too conservative for the position. Walters, who served as deputy drug czar during the presidency of George Bush Sr., has long advocated jail time over treatment for drug offenders.
Bush attempted to alleviate the concerns of those in favor of drug rehabilitation programs by stressing that the administration did plan on stressing treatment for substance abuse, particularly through religious organizations.
The Bush administration received some good news earlier this week: A bill that would lower the taxes of all income tax-paying Americans -- the essence of Bush's long debated tax cut package -- cleared the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday night.
The bill received the support of all 10 Republicans and four of the 10 Democrats on the committee. With the Senate split 50-50 between the two parties, the support of Finance Committee Democrats virtually guarantees the legislation's passage by the full Senate.
North of Washington D.C., good news did not come in the form of a bill, but rather, a bundle -- two, to be exact. Massachussetts acting Governor Jane Swift gave birth by Caesarean section to twin bundles of joy, whom she named Lauren and Sarah. Swift is the first governor to give birth while serving in office.
