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Congresswoman Barbara Lee Declares President Bush’s FY04 Plan the Worst Budget in Decades; Bush’s Proposal Sends Country Back Into Deep Deficits While Cutting Taxes for Wealthy
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-California) expressed serious disappointment about President Bush’s FY 2004 Budget, which was released today. In order to clear the way for a $640 billion tax cut and steep increases in defense spending, Bush’s plan would slash education and human services and low-income housing.
The FY ‘04 budget also represents a return to steep budget deficits. Two years ago, the budget surplus was $5.6 trillion, but just two budget cycles under Bush, the Bush budget would drive the deficit to $2.1 trillion, a staggering reversal of more than $8 trillion.
"The President’s priorities as expressed in this budget are warped," said Lee. "I was prepared for a budget squeeze, but his budget slashes vital programs that are more important than ever since we’re experiencing the worst economy in a decade."
Observing the Bush tax cuts, which are weighted for the wealthy, while cuts to human services are weighted against low- and middle-income Americans, Lee thought that the budget represented a form of "class-warfare."
Lee praised the President’s slight increase in homeland security, but was disappointed with the way that the President’s budget would devastate human services programs. Housing is particularly hard hit. The budget would eliminate funding for brownfields cleanup, send Section 8 housing voucher programs to be administered by the states, and slash $300 million for critical housing assistance. "With the combination of housing price increases, we have a recipe for disaster on our hands," said Lee.
On health care, the President’s plan would attempt to push seniors into private health plans. The President’s budget includes $400 billion over ten years to reform Medicare and provide prescription drug coverage for seniors. Yet last year, the House Republicans’ $350 billion plan was considered to be too small, and that figure didn’t even include the overhaul of Medicare. "Once again, we’ve heard the President’s rhetoric about providing prescription drug coverage, but at the end of the day, we still do not have a plan that does not require seniors to choose between food and their medicines."
Bush’s proposal also would decimate education. Teacher quality improvement programs under the Bush budget would be reduced by 5.2% to $173 million. Education technology funding would be down 9.6% to $722 million. At $600 million, after-school programs would be cut 41.8 percent. 500,000 children would no longer have access to after-school programs.
Even what was supposed to be the hallmark of the Bush presidency, the No Child Left Behind Act, would be underfunded by $9 billion. "Our schools are going to have to meet tough national standards over the next few years, and yet we are not being provided the resources to do it. President Bush assured us that he would not underfund this law, and this lack of money especially hurts our low-income schools and systems."
National Defense programs would receive $399.1 billion this year, which accounts for 18.2 percent of the entire federal budget. That figure represents, in today’s dollars, a 14 percent increase over the average Cold War budget.
Side by side with that increase in defense spending are the enormous tax breaks that are planned for the country’s wealthiest families.
"I think that what the President is saying is that if you’re a military line item or you’re one of the wealthiest Americans, we’ll take care of you." Looking at the budget as a whole, Lee said, "I am very worried where this budget is going to take us. Apparently, President Bush cares more for weapons systems than he does for the children of America."
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The FY ‘04 budget also represents a return to steep budget deficits. Two years ago, the budget surplus was $5.6 trillion, but just two budget cycles under Bush, the Bush budget would drive the deficit to $2.1 trillion, a staggering reversal of more than $8 trillion.
"The President’s priorities as expressed in this budget are warped," said Lee. "I was prepared for a budget squeeze, but his budget slashes vital programs that are more important than ever since we’re experiencing the worst economy in a decade."
Observing the Bush tax cuts, which are weighted for the wealthy, while cuts to human services are weighted against low- and middle-income Americans, Lee thought that the budget represented a form of "class-warfare."
Lee praised the President’s slight increase in homeland security, but was disappointed with the way that the President’s budget would devastate human services programs. Housing is particularly hard hit. The budget would eliminate funding for brownfields cleanup, send Section 8 housing voucher programs to be administered by the states, and slash $300 million for critical housing assistance. "With the combination of housing price increases, we have a recipe for disaster on our hands," said Lee.
On health care, the President’s plan would attempt to push seniors into private health plans. The President’s budget includes $400 billion over ten years to reform Medicare and provide prescription drug coverage for seniors. Yet last year, the House Republicans’ $350 billion plan was considered to be too small, and that figure didn’t even include the overhaul of Medicare. "Once again, we’ve heard the President’s rhetoric about providing prescription drug coverage, but at the end of the day, we still do not have a plan that does not require seniors to choose between food and their medicines."
Bush’s proposal also would decimate education. Teacher quality improvement programs under the Bush budget would be reduced by 5.2% to $173 million. Education technology funding would be down 9.6% to $722 million. At $600 million, after-school programs would be cut 41.8 percent. 500,000 children would no longer have access to after-school programs.
Even what was supposed to be the hallmark of the Bush presidency, the No Child Left Behind Act, would be underfunded by $9 billion. "Our schools are going to have to meet tough national standards over the next few years, and yet we are not being provided the resources to do it. President Bush assured us that he would not underfund this law, and this lack of money especially hurts our low-income schools and systems."
National Defense programs would receive $399.1 billion this year, which accounts for 18.2 percent of the entire federal budget. That figure represents, in today’s dollars, a 14 percent increase over the average Cold War budget.
Side by side with that increase in defense spending are the enormous tax breaks that are planned for the country’s wealthiest families.
"I think that what the President is saying is that if you’re a military line item or you’re one of the wealthiest Americans, we’ll take care of you." Looking at the budget as a whole, Lee said, "I am very worried where this budget is going to take us. Apparently, President Bush cares more for weapons systems than he does for the children of America."
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