Date: 2006-04-06
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. more than any single piece of legislation we passed- this year. the budget reflects our Nations core values. Unfortunately. this budget valuesdeficits over balanced budgets and tax cuts over the health and education of the American people. This budget cuts more than $10 billion from critical domestic programs our constituents rely on every day. By eliminating 42 educational programs. the budget fails our children and wastes our opportunity to invest in their future. It hurts lowincome students shot at the American dream by wiping out the GEARUP program that prepares them for college. It threatens our future economic competitiveness by eliminating vocational programs to help our students gain skills in the global economy. There is so much in this budget that is wrong this cannot actually represent the value of this Congress and the values of the American people because of what it does. E]1300 It cuts the budgets of 18 out of 19 institutes of the National Institutes of Health. It raises deductions and copays for veterans health care.. Mr. Chairman. there is so much wrong with this budget that one thing it does. it continues thetx cuts. and that is why it is not the Arherican values. Let us help our children. our -veterans. and our elderly without giving tax cuts. Mr. Chairman. more than any single piece of legislation We pass this year. the budget reflects our Nations core set of values. Unfortunately. this budget values deficits over balanced budgets. and tax cuts over the health and education of the American people. This budget cuts more than $10 billion from critical domestic programs our constituents rely on every day. By eliminating 42 education programs. the budget fails our children and wastes. our opportunity to invest in their future. It hurts lowincomes students shot at the American Dream by wiping out the GEARUP program that prepares them for college. It threatens our future economic competitiveness by eliminating the vocational education programs that help our students gain the skills to compete in a global economy. This budget breaks our commitment to military retirees by increasingand in some cases triplingtheir outofpocket health care fees. It abandons our quest for health care research and discovery by cutting the budgets of 18 out of 19 institutes within the National Institutes of Health. It cuts programs aimed at preventing illness and disease while also slashing programs that train health professionals to treat these diseases. As a country at war. there is no doubt that we have to make sacrifices to successfully implement the war on terror and equip our troops. But the funding cut from domestic programs in this budget does not go for war costs. In fact. war costs arent even included after 2007. The funding cuts also arent being used to balance the budget. With this budget. this country will post a deficit of $348 billion for 2007one of the largest deficits in our Nations history. Instead of funding war costs or paying down the deficit. the cuts in this budget are used for tax cuts. $228 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans when families are in need here at home. and troops are putting their lives on the line far from home. Mr. Chairman. at best this budget is misguided. But the truth is. this budget is down right immoral. and I urge my colleagues to join me in opposition to it.