The budget passed this week leaves room to make the Administration’s $1.1 trillion dollar tax cut, which mostly benefits the wealthiest two percent of Americans, permanent. It also pushes our country’s financial state further in the red by creating an estimated $521 billion deficit for 2005, forcing our children and our grandchildren to bear the burden of this administration’s spending habits. 

This budget also severely under-funds our education system by reducing funds for important education programs such as Head Start and IDEA. It even cuts funding for the No Child Left Behind Education program by $9.4 billion.  And at a time when college tuition costs are soaring, this budget provides no increase for the Pell Grant. This budget also jeopardizes the future of Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, and actually cuts funding for Homeland Security, redirecting much of this funding to tax cuts. 

Perhaps one of the most disgraceful aspects of this budget is that this budget provides $2.6 billion less than the estimated amount of health care funds currently needed for our nation’s veterans. At a time when our men and women in uniform are making ultimate sacrifices to serve our country, it is shameful to pass a budget that shifts more of the burden of health care costs to our veterans. This budget also creates a new, $250 annual fee certain veterans must pay to access health care, and doubles the monthly co-payments some veterans must pay for prescription drugs! 

The majority’s budget also decreases funding for the COPS program to $97 million from $756 million! It also reduces the Assistance to Firefighters grant program by $250 million, from $750 million to $500 million. And this budget passed this week reduces Agriculture spending by $1.6 billion. These discretionary cuts jeopardize vital programs to agriculture, such as the Farm Service Agency, Agriculture Research Service, and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. 

This budget also zeroes out funding for the Ouachita Black River Navigation System, which if not funded, would literally shut down numerous businesses in South Arkansas. I worked with my Democratic colleagues to successfully insert language in two key Democratic budget alternatives to President Bush's proposed budget that if passed, would have supported full-funding for the Ouachita Black River Navigation System. 

As a member of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition, I supported the Blue Dog Budget Alternative, that would have enacted responsible spending constraints while at the same time employ strong budget enforcement measures and responsible tax policies that would have cut our deficit in half in two years and balanced our budget by 2012. Instead, the budget passed offers no plan to bring our budget back to balance, and this budget even refuses to show how large deficits will be after 2009. 

The budget passed this week continues to implement the same economic policies that have caused our country to lose 3 million jobs since 2001, and will create the largest budget deficit in our nation’s history for second year in a row.

Ross's insertion was included in the Spratt Democratic Alternative and the Blue Dog Alternative, the primary two Democratic alternative budget packages to Bush's budget.  Ross is also a member of fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition, who worked to develop the latter mentioned Alternative. 

"I have fought hard to reinstate funding for the Ouachita Black River Navigation System since the day I learned President Bush zeroed out this critical funding in his 2005 budget proposal," said Ross. "I am grateful that both the Spratt Alternative and the Blue Dog budget both include language that if passed, would support full-funding for the waterway." 

The language Ross inserted in both bills reads as follows: 

SENSE OF THE HOUSE REGARDING THE OUACHITA-BLACK NAVIGATION PROJECT. 

(a)   FINDINGS.-The House finds that- 

(1)   the Ouachita-Black Navigation Project was authorized by the River and Harbor Act of 1950 and modified by the River and Harbor Act of 1960; and

(2)   a 382-mile navigation channel on the Red, Black and Ouachita Rivers was created requiring annual dredging to ensure the rivers' channel depth is maintained at the nine feet needed for commercial use; and

(3)      if adequate annual funding is not provided to the Corps of Engineers and others, the project will not be able to function, undercutting commerce and revitalization 

Ross stressed that although he is grateful both Democratic alternatives include his insertion, there is no guarantee either one of these alternatives will pass. The House of Representatives begins debate on the budget Wednesday, and is expected to vote on the final budget Thursday. 

Regardless of the budget outcome, Ross said he will continue to fight hard to garner funding for the waterway. Ross will request that the funding be reinstated through the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill to be considered later this year. 

"Failing to fund this waterway would literally shut down numerous businesses in South Arkansas. At a time when we should be doing all we can to stimulate our economy by creating jobs and maintaining the ones we have, passing legislation that eliminates jobs makes no sense."

The law enforcement center will receive the funds as part of the Department of Justice's Byrne Discretionary Grants, contained in the 2004 fiscal year budget. 

The Southeast Law Enforcement Center houses offices for the Arkansas State Police, Child Abuse Agency, the Desha County Sheriff, and the Arkansas Highway Department.