FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
March 17, 2005
Contact:  Adrienne Elrod
(202) 225-3772
 

Ross Issues Statement Re: House Passage of Republican Budget Bill
Calls Legislation Fiscally Irresponsible and Morally Incomprehensible 

 
 
(Washington, D.C.) Fourth District Rep. Mike Ross (AR-04) issued the following statement Thursday concerning the House passage of the FY 2006 Budget Concurrent Resolution. Ross voted against the resolution. 

“Today my Republican colleagues passed a budget that is flat-out fiscally irresponsible and morally incomprehensible. Not only does this budget add trillions of dollars to our national debt while failing to take into account the cost of our continuing efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it also makes drastic cuts to programs so many of our hardworking families and farm families depend on.  

“It is morally incomprehensible because it breaks the promises made to our farmers in the Farm Bill by reducing federal payments to crop and dairy producers by $5.7 billion over the next decade. Invoking these cuts right in the middle of the Farm Bill authorization process creates a dangerous uncertainty for producers and bankers – especially those in rural communities.  

“It is morally incomprehensible because it cuts $45 billion from Medicaid, despite the fact that there are 45 million Americans today who lack access to affordable health care. Millions of seniors, children, and disabled Americans depend on the critical health care services Medicaid provides. There is no doubt this cut in funding will have an especially harmful impact on small states like Arkansas, where 717,000 of the state’s 2.7 million citizens are Medicaid recipients.  

“It is possible to pass a budget within a system of accountability. Several weeks ago, I joined my fellow Members of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition and introduced a budget plan that would restore fiscal sanity to our nation’s government. Our “12-Point Budget Plan” sets forth sensible objectives such as supporting a constitutional amendment that would require a balanced budget every year,  establishing “paygo” standards --  meaning any new spending must be paid for by cuts in other programs or by new revenues -- and justifying spending for pet projects.  Our budget plan has received mounds of praise from many non-partisan watchdog groups across the country, and I can only hope this publicity will eventually have an impact on the way our majority party chooses to address our nation’s budget needs. 

“Considering some of the legislation my Republican colleagues have chosen to pass and the negative impact their decisions have had on millions of hardworking families, I am constantly amazed they can actually sleep at night. This budget reduces support for housing, education, community development, and small business lending -- programs that literally allow many of our low and middle-income families to keep on going. And with all these cuts, this budget still increases the deficit. It raises taxes on the poor.  And it does all this so the Republicans can afford new tax cuts for the wealthiest among us.   

“The Republican budget is morally unjustifiable.  And as Congress continues this debate, I will do everything in my power to restore fiscal responsibilities for all of America’s hardworking families.”


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