Date: 2005-02-08
Speaker: CORRINE BROWN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

Mr. Speaker. this budget is another example of reverse Robin Hood. robbing from the veterans. the homeless. public education. public transportation. the poor and the elderly. to give away huge tax breaks to those who contributed to President Bushs reelection campaign. E 1930 Let me be clear.. This budget is another clear example of reverse Robin Hood: robbing from the veterans. the homeless. public education. public transportation. the poor and the elderly. to give away huge tax breaks to those who contributed to President Bushs reelection campaign. This administratioii is cutting the programsthat our Nation and its citizens need most. while dissolving the safety nets created to protect the elderly and less fortunate in this wealthy Nation. This budget cuts $500 million in job training at a time when outsourcing has left many Americans without work. slashes hundreds of millions in funding for police and firefighters used to protect local communities from terrorists. And let me add that since this administration has been in place. we have not funded the COPS program at all. It doubles drug copayments for veterans as they struggle to get the health care they need. Let me repeat. doubles drug copayments for veterans as they struggle to get the health care that they need. It cuts funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while we are under the threat of a bioterrorist attack. I do not understand it. Cuts funding to the LowIncome Energy Assistance Program as fuel prices soar. Now this is a real gimmick here: It zeroes out funding for Amtrak. zeroes out funding for Amtrak. which is the Nations only mass transportation system. And it totally destroys the Medicaid program. which protects the poor and elderly. Veterans continue to get the short end of the stick when it comes to this administration. And let me point out. todays veterans are yesterdays soldiers. Those are the people who are fighting to protect this country. They are the ones who are getting the short end of the stick. The budget raises health care costs for hundreds of thousands of veterans. imposing new copayments on prescription drugs and enrollment fees that will cost veterans hundreds of millions of dollars. As America prepares to welcome a new generation of veterans home from Iraq. it is shortchanging health care programs. providing about $2 billion less than veterans service organizations believe is needed. And the budget once again fails to repeal the disabled veterans tax. which forces disabled military retirees to give up $1 of their pension for every $1 of disability pay they receive. We owe it to the soldiers. airmen. sailors. and Marines who have served as a source of pride in our Nation to begin enrolling Priority 8 veterans into the VA health care system. However. charging each of them an annual $250 fee and doubling the copayment on prescription drugs for the. privilege is unacceptable. These men and women have already paid their deduction in their service protecting this countrys freedom. Most of the "increase" this administration claims for veterans medical needs come from these fees. This budget is completely unrealistic because it leaves out countless items. Once administration initiatives like additional costs for military operations in Iraq. Social Security privatization. which is unacceptable. and permanent tax cuts for the wealthy are included. the Nations deficit. which is the highest in the history of this country. will spiral even higher. This is an administration that not only does not have a plan to erase the deficit. but by proposing to make their tax cuts permanent. they will push the current deficits to skyhigh levels. This is a terrible budget for the American people. The Presidents budget is the peoples budget. and I will fight to ensure that my constituents priorities are reflected in this budget. The current issues conjcerning Amtrak brings up a fundamental question of where this Nation stands on public Transportation. We have an opportunity to improve a system that serves our need for passenger rail service. or we can let it fall apart. and leave this countrys travelers and businesses with absolutely no alternative form of public transportation. Without the funding Amtrak needs to keep operating. we will soon see people that rely on Amtrak to get them to work each day. waiting for a train that isnt coming. We continue to subsidize highways and aviation. but when it comes to our passenger rail system. we refuse to provide the money Amtrak needs to survive. This issue is so much bigger than just transportation. This is about safety and national security. Not only should we be giving Amtrak the money it needs to continue providing service. we should be providing security money to upgrade their tracks and improve safety and security measures in the entire rail system. Once again we see the Bush Administrations paying for its failed policies by cutting funds to vital public services and jeopardizing more American jobs. This Administration sees nothing wrong with taking money from the hard working Amtrak employees who work day and night to provide top quality service to their passengers. These folks are trying to make a living for their families. and they dont deserve this shabby treatment from the President. Its time for this Administration to step up to the plate and make a decision about Amtrak based on whats best for the traveling public. not whats best for the right wing of the Republican party and the bean counters at OMB. I represent Central Florida. which depends on tourism for its economy. and we need people to be able to get to the state to enjoy it. Ever since September 11th. more and more people are turning from the airlines to Amtrak. and they deserve safe and dependable service. Some people think that the solution to the problem is to privatize the system. If we privatize. we will see the same thing we saw when we deregulated the airline industry. Only the lucrative routes would be maintained. and routes to Rural locations will be expensive and few. I was in New York shortly after September 11th when the plane leaving JFK airport crash into the Bronx. I. along with many of my colleagues in both the House and Senate took AMTRAK back to Washington. I realized once again just how important AMTRAK is to the American people. and how important it is for this Nation to have alternative modes of Transportation. This isnt about fiscal policy. this is about providing a safe and reliable public transportation system that the citizens of this Nation need and deserve.