Sen. Judd Gregg (news, bio, voting record), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, worries that his deficit-ridden, free-spending country is gambling on its future.
But the New Hampshire Republican's own little gamble paid off big time when he won $853,492 -- before taxes -- as a second place winner in the multi-state Powerball lottery.
Gregg said on Thursday that he had bought $20 worth of tickets at a Washington gas station on his way to work on Monday. With gas selling for around $3 a gallon in Washington, Gregg said he was watching his bill mount when he decided to buy the lottery tickets "and see if I can make some of it back."
Gregg, who is affluent but not among the Senate's multi-millionaires, said he would donate part of the money to a foundation named for his father, Hugh, which helps New Hampshire charities.
About a third will go to taxes and his wife will have a say in how the rest is spent. "She deserves that," he said.
Meanwhile his colleagues gathered around him, mercilessly teasing him and proclaiming that they were long lost relatives "They're tormenting me," Gregg said.
The budget chief, who can rattle off all sorts of statistics about federal spending, said he couldn't remember what his winning numbers were. "The first one was a seven," he said.
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