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Sununu, 'Incredibly Encouraged' by Trump, Pitches Budget to Manchester's Business Community

Paige Sutherland/NHPR
Gov. Chris Sununu addressed the Manchester business community at St. Anselm College Wednesday, March 1, 2017.

The morning after President Donald Trump’s address to Congress, Governor Chris Sununu told a crowd of Manchester businesspeople that he was inspired by the president's tone.

Sununu says he was “incredibly encouraged” by Trump’s message Tuesday night especially when it comes to health care, education policy and business regulation.

“There is a clear message that this is an Administration that doesn’t believe Washington has the answers – they believe that the states have the answers, they believe in local control, they believe in outcomes," Sununu told the crowd.

During his so-called “State of the State” address at St. Anselm College Wednesday morning, Sununu also promoted pieces of his recent state budget proposal. He stressed that his priorities are aimed at policies with long-term impact, such as providing more money for the state's child protection agency, infrastructure and services for the developmentally disabled. 

But his strongest pitch – was focused on his proposal to partially fund full-day kindergarten. 

“I don’t want to say I’m proud to be the first Governor to propose full-day kindergarten, I mean I am. I guess I’m just more shocked that I’m the first governor to propose full-day kindergarten," Sununu said. "We are one of the last states to do this, I guess my message there is everyone needs to wake up. This is the 21st Century- get with the program. It just has to get done.”

Sununu’s kindergarten plan calls for a targeted approach in which the state’s neediest districts would receive priority funding. Currently the state only pays for half the per-pupil cost of full-day kindergarten. 

But for all these ideas to take shape, Sununu said would require some bipartisan cooperation.

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