**GOP vs. DEMOCRATIC BUDGETS:**

**MORE OF THE SAME vs. CHANGE**

  ---------------- ------------------------- ----------------------------
                   **House GOP Budget**      **House Democratic Budget**

  **Is fiscally    **NO.** The GOP budget    **YES.** The deficit is
  responsible.**   calls for deficits for as lower than in the GOP budget
                   far as the eye can see,   over the next 5 years, and
                   [never]{.underline}       gets to balance in 6 years.
                   achieving balance --      Reimposes the pay-as-you-go
                   adding another \$2.3      rules, which require that
                   trillion to the national  spending increases and tax
                   debt over the next five   cuts to be paid for, and
                   years.                    which brought us to budget
                                             surpluses in 1990s.

  **Makes America  **NO.** Cuts homeland     **YES.** Provides \$6.5
  safer here at    security by almost \$500  billion more over the next
  home.**          this year and \$6.1       five years for homeland
                   billion over five years.  security, thereby
                   Is not much better than   guaranteeing funding for
                   the President's budget,   port security, first
                   which eliminates port     responders, and Justice
                   security grants and rail  Assistance Grants.
                   and transit security      
                   grants \-- rolling them   
                   into a larger grant       
                   program.                  

  **Adequately     **NO.** Cuts funding for  **YES.** Provides \$6
  funds veterans'  veterans' health care by  billion more over the next
  programs.**      \$6 billion over the next five years for veterans'
                   5 years.                  health care than the GOP
                                             budget. Also rejects
                                             increases in TRICARE health
                                             care costs for more than 3
                                             million military retirees
                                             and their families.

  **Targets tax    **NO.** Follows the       **YES.** Provides \$150
  cuts to the      President's budget, which billion for middle-class tax
  middle class.**  provides \$2.5 trillion   relief including child tax
                   in tax cuts over the next credit, marriage penalty
                   10 years, targeted to the relief, and 10 percent
                   very wealthiest           individual bracket.
                   taxpayers.                

  **Addresses      **NO.** Does nothing to   **YES.** Uses PPO slush fund
  problems with    address the serious       and savings from negotiating
  the Prescription problems in the confusing drug prices to improve the
  Drug benefit.**  and costly Bush           Prescription Drug plan by
                   Prescription Drug plan.   working to close the donut
                                             hole and providing that drug
                                             coverage is reliable. Also
                                             extends enrollment deadline
                                             without penalty.

  **Provides       **NO.** Identical to the  **YES.** Provides \$18
  funding for key  Bush budget, which        billion more over the next
  discretionary    slashes rural health      five years for discretionary
  health care      activities, underfunds    health care programs than
  initiatives.**   NIH, and cuts prevention  the GOP budget, including
                   programs at the Centers   NIH and the Centers for
                   for Disease Control. Also Disease Control. Provides
                   cuts physician payments   for an increase in Medicare
                   by 5 percent each year.   physician payments in 2007.

  **Makes college  **NO.** Identical to the  **YES.** Rejects the GOP
  more             Bush budget, which        cuts in higher education
  affordable.**    freezes Pell Grants for   programs. Also lowers the
                   college and denies more   cost of student loans --
                   than 460,000 students     cutting the interest rate on
                   low-cost loans. This is   student loans in half in
                   on top of the \$12        2007.
                   billion cut in student    
                   loan funding that         
                   Republicans just enacted. 

  **Expands        **NO.** Identical to the  **YES.** Provides \$4.6
  educational      Bush budget, which        billion more in 2007 and
  opportunity.**   underfunds No Child Left  \$45.3 billion more over the
                   Behind by 39 percent,     next five years for
                   denying extra math and    education and training
                   reading help to 3.7       programs than the GOP
                   million children and      budget.
                   shutting 2 million        
                   children out of           
                   after-school programs.    

  **Provides       **NO.** Similar to the    **YES.** Provides \$2.9
  funding for key  Bush budget, which        billion more in 2007 and
  environmental    slashes Clean Water funds \$25 billion more over the
  protection       by 22 percent, cuts Safe  next five years for
  initiatives.**   Drinking Water funds, and environmental protection
                   underfunds land and water programs than the GOP
                   conservation programs.    budget.
  ---------------- ------------------------- ----------------------------

Office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, April 6, 2006