Date: 2014-04-09
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. I rise in strong support of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Budget because it would replace H. Con. Res. 96. the "Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2015." with a rational approach for budgetary reform and address the needs of real people. I oppose H. Con. Res. 96. in its current form because it is irresponsible and a reckless approach to fiscal policy that the House majority has championed for years. with disastrous results. The CPCs "Better Off Budget" would raise enough new revenue to provide $3.7 trillion for major new investments in education. infrastructure. state and local aid. nutrition. housing and research. It is estimated to create 8.8 million new jobs and to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion. The CPC budget asks the wealthy to contribute their fair share of taxes. Millions of American adults remain under- or unemployed. while millions more youth are desperately seeking their first work experience. We have millions of people living in our Nation. paying taxes and contributing to the success of this nation. but are denied an opportunity to earn citizenship. The CPCs budget reflects the reality of everyday working Americabut it sees working people as worthy of dignity and recognition for what they do every day to keep this nation strong. The CPCs Budget is proworker. profamily. prowomen. proeducation. prohealthcare. and prosenior which are the values that are missing in the current language of H. Con. Res. 96. Members of the Progressive Caucus understand that the devastating cuts to federal budgets by House Republicans coupled with Sequestration have significantly hampered our Nations economic recovery. The country was under the control of Republicans when the economy crashed in 1929 and then they wholeheartedly embraced austerity measures which pushed the nation into the "Great Depression." Eighty years later the House Republicans still have not learned the lessons regarding austerity during dire economic times. The nation continues to struggle after the collapse in 2008 as the results of the Great Recession continue. In 2013. on December 28. three days after Christmas. 1.3 million people nationwide lost their federal unemployment insurance due to House Republicans refusing to extend unemployment benefits. Connecting the dots on the economic damage done to the nation by that decision is easy. Nationally 72.000 unemployment insurance recipients will lose their benefits each week during the first half of 2014. According to the White House Council of Economic Advisers and the Department of Labor3.6 million additional people will lose their unemployment insurance benefits by the end of 2014 if nothing is done to restore benefits. TEXAS 64.294 unemployed Texas residents lost their unemployment insurance benefits. Each week an additional 4.112 Texans will lose their unemployment insurance benefits. Unemployment insurance payments provide partial income replacement to unemployed workers who meet the requirements of state law. According to the White House Council of Economic Advisers and the Department of Labor. Texas will lose 11.766 jobs if unemployment insurance payments are not reinstated. To compound this economic reality the nations families and workers are struggling to make it in a weak private sector economy that is recovering. while federal. state and local government jobs are going unfilled. Public sector hiring is at its lowest point in 47 years. when the nations population was over 146 million. In 2013. the U.S. population was over 317 million. The need for public services is greater than they were in 1947. and the generation of public jobs should keep pace with domestic population growth. The government shutdown last year was a direct result of the majority not believing that public employees make contributions to the quality of life in the United States or make a significant contribution to the nations overall economic wellbeing. The Better Off Budget rectifies this inaccurate view of the role of government at all levels. by ending the ill advised austerity measures enacted by the Budget Control Act. sequestration. and SNAP benefit cuts. and replacing them with solutions to create 8.8 million jobs by 2017. The CPC budget would enact comprehensive immigration reform and at the same time reduce the federal budget deficit by $700 billion over the next 20 years. The CPC budget would also enact a tax code that makes sense for all Americans by introducing tax fairness and implementing a "Hard Work Tax Credit." expanding EITC. and stronger regulatory measures to reduce the incidence of extreme volatility in financial markets with the introduction of a Financial Speculation Tax. The CPCs Better Off Budget outlines a viable alternative to H. Con. Res. 96 with a perspective on the future that allows for an improving economy to be factored into how spending and appropriations decisions should be made. Americas economy at this point could be said to be in the early recovery phase of a very bad case of the flu. the Ryan Budget would turn it into the early stages of pneumonia. The CPC budget makes a clear and unambiguous commitment to our nations children and their future that H. Con. Res 96 does not. The CPC budget understands that children are our nations greatest asset. Children are not small adults. they are growing and their bodies must have certain things that are nonnegotiable. Children need safe. correctly prepared. nutritious food. clean drinking water. adequate shelter. seasonal clothing. safe toys. excellent education. healthcare. and safe environments to grow and learn so that they have a good chance of reaching their full potential. In addition. children with disabilities must also have competent caregivers who are knowledgeable on how to best help them successfully engage the world during their day to day lives in preparation of them living independently. Children with chronic conditions like asthma. sickle cell anemia. autism. respiratory disorders. cognitive disorders. brain injuries. physical disabilities. muscular dystrophy or other serious medical conditions should not be robbed of a childhood or their independence as adults. All children can benefit from efforts that are aimed at keeping them safe from preventable injury. illness. and death. Parents and families fill an indispensible role in the lives of children. and the CPC budget recognizes that there is a strong public interest in ensuring that children have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. It is in the public interest that children are free of disease. illness. injury. violence. consume sufficient amounts of foods with high nutritional value that support health growth. arrive to the learning environment ready to learn. Parents. teachers. communities and students should be empowered to decide for themselves how best to build strong collaborative relationships to reach these basic goals in support of their children. The interconnectedness of economies makes the welfare of children in the United States critical to the future of our nation. If we are to remain globally relevant we must understand that our nations ability to remain first in the areas of innovation. commerce. science. engineering. and global relevance is tied to how well the next generation is physically. mentally and emotionally prepared to lead. support. or engage their futures. We are at a point where children receive less than 8 percent of the federal budget. Since the peak in 2010. totaling $35 billion in spending on children there has been a 16 percent drop. Total spending on children has declined for three years in a row according to First Focus. a bipartisan childrens advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. The CPC Budget plan will protect and strengthen programs that support children and their families as well as address the needs of our recovering economy. reduce the deficit in a responsible way. while continuing to invest in the things that make our country strong like education. health care. innovation. and clean energy. Mr. Chair. this Republican budget is bad for America but the CPCs budget is the cure. 1. If the Republican budget resolution were to become the basis of federal fiscal policy. 3.435.336 Texas seniors would be forced out of traditional Medicare and into a voucher program. Under the Republican plan to end Medicare as we know it. Texas seniors will receive a voucher instead of guaranteed benefits under traditional Medicare. 2. For the 3.435.336 Texans aged 4554. the value of their vouchers would be capped at growth levels that are lower than the projected increases in health care costs. Previous analyses showed that this type of plan would cut future spending by $5.900 per senior. forcing them to spend more out of pocket and diminishing their access to quality care. 3. Additionally. private insurance plans will aggressively pursue the healthiest. least expensive enrollees. thereby allowing Medicarecurrently the lifeline for 3.187.332 Texas seniorsto "wither on the vine." 4. If the Republican budget resolution were to be adopted by Congress. 206.304 Texas seniors would pay more for prescription drugs next year. 5. The Republican plan would reopen the "donut hole." forcing seniors to pay the full cost of their prescription drugs if their yearly drug expenses are more than $2.970 for the year. 6. Seniors reaching the prescription drug "donut hole" would pay an average of $828 more in prescription drug costs in 2014 and approximately $13.000 more from now through 7. Under the Republican budget. the 2.445.462 Texas seniors who utilized free preventive services currently covered by Medicare in 2012 will face increased costs in the form of higher deductibles. coinsurance. and copayments for certain services. including even cancer screenings and annual wellness visits. 8. The Republican budget slashes $31.71 billion in nursing home care and other health care services for 754.500 Texas seniors and disabled who currently rely on Medicaid for their longterm care needs. 9. The draconian cuts included in the Republican budget would have a devastating impact on the 1.191 certified nursing homes in Texas that serve 91.717 seniors. with more than half relying on Medicaid as their primary payer. As a result. nursing homes would be forced to slash services. turn away seniors. or close their doors. Mr. Chair. the Better Off Budget enhances programs that close the growing wealth gap. including ensuring equal access to job opportunities. properly funding public education and enhancing programs that allow American families to get through tough times. Women and communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by recent budget cuts. particularly at the state and local levels. The CPC budget increases the Education. Training and Social Services budget function by $243 billion and the Income Security budget function by $323 billion over 10 years. Specifically. the Alternative Budgets proposed by the CPC: help create more jobs now. replace the sequester. make key education investments. invest in research and development and clean energy. invest in longterm infrastructure. preserve Medicare as we know it. protect health reforms benefits for seniors. protect Medicaid for seniors in nursing homes. preserve Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP). reduce the deficit through a smart. targeted. and steady approach provides tax relief for working families and ends tax breaks for the wealthy. take a balanced approach to reducing the longterm deficits and debt. and put the budget on a sustainable path. It is said often. Mr. Chair. but is no less true. that the federal budget is more than a financial document. it is an expression of the nations most cherished values. As the late and great former senator and VicePresident Hubert Humphrey said: "The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life. the children. those who are in the twilight of life. the elderly. and those who are in shadows of life. the sick. the needy. and the handicapped." For that reason that in evaluating the merits of a budget resolution. it is not enough to subject it only to the test of fiscal responsibility. To keep faith with the nations past. to be fair to the nations present. and to safeguard the nations future. the budget must also pass a "moral test." The Republican budget resolution fails both of these standards. The Democratic alternatives do not. For these compelling reasons. I stand in strong opposition to H. Con. Res. 96 and urge my colleagues to join me in voting against this illconceived and unwise measure.