Date: 2013-03-20
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Chair. I support the Democratic budget. It is a responsible roadmap that invests in our future and approaches deficit reduction in a balanced way. It accomplishes this without singling out domestic energy production with unfair tax provisions. I cannot support the Republican budget. It cuts taxes for the wealthy and pays for it by raising taxes on middle income earners and betraying our commitment to our seniors. It is misguided and does not reflect the values Americans hold dear. The Republican budget slashes Medicaid. which provides necessary care to our nations most vulnerable. especially lowincome seniors and children. Denying them the care they need does not make the costs go away. it just shifts the burden on to doctors. hospitals. nonprofits. and others. The Majority budget repeats the same tired and failed tactic of repealing the Affordable Care Act. Repeal increases the deficit and means Seniors will pay more for prescription drugs. receive less preventive care. and bring back the days of abusive insurance companies capping coverage and denying coverage to those with preexisting conditions. Alternatively. the Democratic budget makes good on the commitments we have made to our Seniors. It makes sure that the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented and that the benefits are maximized to protect patients and begin to bring down the cost of healthcare. This budget also provides the necessary funding for medical research. which will spur the innovations of the future that end disease and improve outcomes. Additionally. I appreciate the Ranking Member for making education a top priority in this budget. Investing in education is key to growing our economy. strengthening the middle class. allowing for upward mobility and ensuring our children and grandchildren have brighter futures than previous generations. Robust early education programs. jobs initiatives and financial aid programs to make college more affordable invest in our future and build a stronger America in the longterm. Making it harder for outofwork Americans to get job training or for families to access quality early learning programs undermines the strength of our workforce and diminishes our ability to compete in the global economy. Spending on domestic programs is already on track to be at the lowest level as a percentage of the economy since the 1960s. but the Ryan budget would make even deeper cuts. It imposes spending caps on nondefense programs for two additional years at a level that is $700 billion below the level set by the Sequester. It slashes billions of dollars in mandatory funding for Pell Grants and allows interest rates on student loans to double this summer at a time when student loan debt is nearing $1 trillion and is the only type of household debt that continued to rise through the Great Recession. We should be working to help Americans who seek to better their livelihood through higher education rather than allowing them to be crushed by debt or denied access due to skyrocketing costs. Under the Ryan budget. students will face larger class sizes. more debt. fewer afterschool programs. and less support for special needs. Robust funding for educational investments is critical to growing our economy. Cutting these programs shortchanges our future and threatens the ability of our children to pursue the American Dream. Finally. I want to thank our Ranking Member on the House Budget Committee and Democratic Leadership for not including provisions in this budget that would unfairly singleout and punish our domestic energy industry by repealing tax provisions for them that are afforded to any business operating in our country. The oil and natural gas industry is one of the largest employers in our country. supporting more than 9.2 million jobs. In fact. this industry delivers $86 million a day to the federal government in revenue. Any changes to these tax incentives should be addressed in the context of comprehensive tax reform and not a budget.