Date: 2005-11-17
Speaker: VAN HOLLEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong opposition to this reckless and misguided budget reconciliation package. At their heart. budgets are about our priorities. And the priorities we choose reflect the values we hold dear. Mr. Speaker. I do not believe this budget represents the priorities of the American peopieand it flies directly in the face of the values that have always made this nation shine. First of all. lets dispense with the fiction that this measure is some kind of down payment on the majoritys newfound commitment to fiscal responsibility. In point of fact. the net effect of these spending cutswhen paired with their accompanying tax cutswill be to actually increase the deficit by $20 billion. So much for fiscal responsibility. And where are these cuts coming from? Are we scaling back the billions in excess payments to HMOs and drug companies in the Medicare bill? Or the billions in tax breaks for corporate interests in the FSC/ETI bill? Or the billions in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry in the energy bill? Of course not. Instead. in the aftermath of a lethal hurricane. with stagnant wages and rising poverty. 45 million Americans uninsured. and unprecedented global competition. we are slashing Medicaid for the poor. food stamps for the hungry and financial assistance to families trying to afford college. This budget is a disgrace. Parts of our Nation were recently devastated by a natural disaster. Tonight. the damage being done is en- It is very dangerous to underestimate the tirely manmade. and entirely avoidable. The American people. and there are many Repubwounds are selfinflicted. licans that know that. All the fancy arguments Because I sit on the Education and Work- that say "reduced spending is not really a cut" force Committee. I want to say a word about are going nowhere. and they know it. They the Republicans unprecedented Raid on Stu- can walk the plank for their leaders tonight. dent Aid. but if they think they are going to getaway When the Higher Education Act was signed with it. they should thinkagain. into law in 1965. it began a 40year federal Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker. rise in strong opcommitment to throw open the doors of higher position to H.R. 4241. legislation that will reeducation to every collegeready student. re- poito to H.R 4 lilion il re.gardless of their familys income. It was the quire approximately $57 billion in federal right thing to do for our studentsand the spending redubtions. Deceptively. titled the smart thing to do for our.country. Deficit Reduction Act. the bill resorts to trickYou see. in addition to the importance of erya sleight of hand in which fiscal responsi-� giving every child the opportunity to reach his bility is promised. but never delivered. H.R. or her full potential. the reality is that college 4241 could actually increase the budget deficit graduates earn $1 million more over their life- by $35 billion. while instituting draconian cuts time6 than their counterparts who dont attend to essential federal programs. such as Medcollege. Thats an enormous return the tax- icaid and student loan. payers original investmentan investment Proponents of the bill suggest that such cuts that is only going to get more important as we are necessary to offset the recovery and recompete to win in the global marketplace of construction costs of. Hurricanes Katrina and the 21st century. Rita. This assertion is curious at best. Since Which is why it is simply astonishing that 2003. Congress has approved three colossal this package includes the single largest cut to supplemental spending bills for the war and federal student aid in the 40year history of reconstruction effort in Iraq without providing the Higher Education program. By draining any offsets as proposed by Democrats. Why $15 billion out of student financial assistance. are Republicans suddenly so interested in offwe are effectively tacking $5800 onto the cost setting the reconstruction of Biloxi. but not the of college for todays average student. We are reconstruction of Baghdad? making college less affordable at a time when The American people should not be misled. we should be doing precisely the opposite. These longplanned spending cuts have little Predictably. the result will be less people to do with Biloxi or Baghdad. They. instead. going to college. The Congressional Advisory Committee on are a necessary prelude to another RepubStudent Financial Assistance has already pro- lican effort to shepherd through Congress tax jected that financial barriers will prevent 4.4 cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthimillion high school graduates from attending a est Amencans. In fact. the socalled Deficit fouryear public college over the next decade. Reduction Act is a part of a much broader and another two million high school graduates budget resolution that calls for a total of $106 from attending any college at all. This rec- billion in additional tax cuts. onciliation package is going to make that sta- With tax cuts for the rich in the offing. Retistic much. much worse. publicans propose to restore fiscal restraint by And for what? To payor I should really imposing cuts to federal programs that benefit say partially payfor tax cuts. over 50 percent the most vulnerable Americans. The bill. for of which go to the top .2 percent of house- example. cuts Medicaid spending by $11.4 bilholds already earning over $1 million a year. lion. Medicaid currently provides critical health Mr. Speaker. the choices in our budgets care to 50 million lowincome children. famishould reflect the values and priorities of the lies. seniors. and people with disabilities. CutAmerican people. This budget fails that test. I ting the program will force thousands into the am confident that if this budget was supposed ranks of the uninsured. to be a mirror of American values. the Amer- The bill would allow states to increase costican people would not recognize themselves. sharing and impose new premiums on many We can do so much better than this.