Interview with Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker

- September 2008

Interview with Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker

On New Year’s Eve 2007, then-Congressman Roger Wicker (R) was appointed by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to serve one year of the five years remaining in the unexpired term of U.S. Senator Trent Lott who had resigned. Senator Wicker is now the Republican candidate to occupy the remaining four years of that Senate term.

To accept the one-year appointment to the Senate, Wicker had to sacrifice the U.S. House seat representing Mississippi’s First Congressional District to which he had been elected seven times and where he built a solidly pro-business and conservative record. First elected to the House in 1994, Wicker was chosen by his colleagues to serve as president of the 73-member freshman class and landed a seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee (a rare feat for a freshman Member) and it’s Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. For the 110th Congress, Wicker served as the senior Republican on the Military Construction and Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee.

Senator Wicker now serves on the Senate’s Armed Services, Commerce and Veterans’ Affairs Committee, key committees in addressing critical national security and interstate and international economic issues, and in meeting the needs of servicemen and women returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WDPAC recently visited with the Senate’s newest member to discuss the public policy challenges facing Mississippi and the nation.

Q: Sen. Wicker, you served in the House of Representatives for 13 years prior to your appointment to the United States Senate last New Year’s Eve. What do you consider to be your proudest achievement during your service in Congress?

Keeping Mississippi internationally competitive.  Recent economic development efforts have led to significant progress in Mississippi, which is reflected by the creation of over 30,000 jobs over the last five years.  I am proud of my record for helping facilitate that job growth.  I have worked with major employers like Toyota, SeverCorr, Northrup Grumman, Caterpillar, our catfish farmers, and our upholstered furniture manufacturers on projects to help protect Mississippi's vital industries and expand into new fields. Our state is gaining national prominence in the defense and aerospace industries, and I am very proud of my work to help bring those jobs to Mississippi.

Q: Many of the tax policies enacted in 2001 and 2003 are temporary. Among those set to expire at the end of this decade include repeal of the death tax, marginal income tax rate reductions, and the reduced tax rates on capital gains and dividends. Should these policies be allowed to expire or should they be made permanent?

Americans know how to spend their money better than politicians in Washington.  Cutting taxes creates new, higher-paying jobs and increases tax revenue to the federal government.  I supported the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, and I am working to make sure they are made permanent.  In a time of slow economic growth, we cannot afford tax increases.  American families are struggling to pay for groceries, mortgages, and gas.  We should not add another payment to the government in their already crunched budgets.  Small businesses are the engine of our national economy, we must be sure that their tax rates are as low as possible so that they can continue adding jobs and growing the economy.

Q: One tax issue of particular importance to many wholesaler-distributors revolves around the last-in-first-out (LIFO) method of accounting. It appears that LIFO repeal now ranks high on a list of potential revenue raisers. Will you now commit to vote to preserve LIFO?

I oppose the elimination of an accounting method that so many of our businesses rely on.  Thinly disguised tax increases on American businesses are not what the economy needs during a time of economic downturn.

Q: Where do you stand on proposals to increase or eliminate the earnings tax cap as an approach to shoring-up the solvency of Social Security?

Social Security has serious financial problems that require Congress to work now to strengthen Social Security for our children and grandchildren.  Any reforms to the Social Security program should not reduce promised benefits, but the system needs to be fixed for future generations.  Increasing the earnings tax cap would result in a huge tax increase for workers and small businesses.  I believe there are ways to reform Social Security without adding to the tax burden of American families and businesses.

Q: There is no more important issue to wholesaler-distributors than “card check”. In this Congress you voted against the so-called “Employee Free Choice Act” which proposes to eliminate the secret ballot in union organizing elections. If you are re-elected will you continue to oppose this issue and vote against the card check bill if it comes before the Senate?

I strenuously oppose this misguided legislation and will continue to fight against its enactment at every opportunity.

Q: Health insurance costs are a leading concern of large and small employers and health care reform seems likely to be a leading issue for the coming 111th Congress and the new administration. Reformers appear to fall into three broad “camps:” those who favor incremental changes; those who want to reduce the influence of government policy on private health insurance programs; and those who favor a greater federal role. What are your thoughts?

One of the biggest health concerns facing our nation today is the lack of affordable health insurance coverage.  Millions of Americans remain uninsured, even with multiple sources of health care coverage.  Health care costs continue to rise at unsustainable rates.  It is clear that our nation's health care system needs reform.  I believe we can provide every American with access to affordable coverage without sacrificing the quality of care.  I oppose creating a government-run system.  The first bill I introduced in the Senate was the Making Health Care More Affordable Act, which includes six steps the federal government should take to help provide affordable coverage.

Q: What if anything can and should the federal government do to provide immediate relief from skyrocketing gasoline prices? And with a longer view in mind, what is your prescription for enhancing the nation’s energy security and ensuring a sustainable, stable and affordable energy supply?

Skyrocketing gas prices continue to hit Mississippi families and businesses hard.  I see the prices each time I go fill up my car, and I know that these prices are magnified for businesses that depend on transportation for their livelihood.  I believe we can improve both our security and our economy by increasing American-based energy production – from exploring ANWR and the OCS to increasing American refining capacity.

The Department of Energy estimates that, even with intensive conservation efforts in place, maintaining our economic growth through 2025 will require a 36% increase in energy supply, including a 40% increase in natural gas and a 39% increase in oil.  That is why we must access valuable American resources like oil deposits in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Outer Continental Shelf, and shale oil sites.  We also must increase research and development into alternative sources of energy, including increases in nuclear power generation and coal-to-liquid technology.

Q: Are there any closing thoughts you’d like to offer as to why the voters of Mississippi should elect you to the four years remaining in this term in the U.S. Senate?

The most important issues facing Mississippi today are jobs and the economy.  I'm proud of my record of working with state and local leaders to bring more and better jobs to Mississippi.  Senator Cochran and I have been fighting together for years to bring federal dollars to Mississippi so we can improve our infrastructure, workforce development, and ultimately our quality of life.  I ask for your vote so we can continue this fight for Mississippi.

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