GOP resolution: Cut government spending

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Republicans' top New Year's resolution is to trim government spending, incoming Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hew Hampshire said Saturday.

In the party's weekly radio and Internet address, the former state attorney general said Republicans are concerned with the country's $14 trillion debt and want to reduce it, The Hill reported.

"Americans across the country have been taking time to declare their New Year's resolutions," she said, saying the Republicans' "job one is to stop wasteful Washington spending."

The newspaper said the party's decision to have Ayotte deliver the last party address before the 112th Congress reconvenes Wednesday was an indication of the GOP's desire to present a fresh and female face to the public.

Ayotte, 42, is poised to become the youngest U.S. senator, one of 13 new Republican senators to be sworn in next week, along with 87 new House Republicans.

She said Republican congressional gains in the November midterm elections had helped the party forge an agenda.

"We're keenly aware that the American people are relying on us to change business as usual in Washington, and we're well-positioned to do just that," she said.