The Democratic motion rejects cuts to education, health care, and veterans’ programs by calling on the conferees, on a deficit-neutral basis, to restore these cuts.  These cuts are included in the House Republican budget, but not in the House Democratic budget, the Senate budget resolution, or even the President’s budget.  
 
The motion calls on the conferees to:

·        Reject Cuts to Medicaid and Medicare  — The House-passed budget resolution requires $107 billion in spending cuts from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, including an estimated $94 billion in cuts to the Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) programs.  For the Committee on Ways and Means, the budget resolution includes instructions to cut spending by $62 billion, some or all of which could fall on the Medicare program.  The conference report should protect these critical health programs and reject any spending cuts for Medicaid, CHIP, and Medicare.

Reject Cuts of $9.4 Billion to Key Education Programs, Such as School Lunches and Student Loans — The House budget requires the Education and the Workforce Committee to cut $9.4 billion over ten years from direct spending for education — primarily school lunches and student loans.  

·        Reject $14.6 Billion Cuts in Veterans’ Benefits — The House-passed resolution cuts direct spending for veterans’ benefits by a total of $14.6 billion over ten years.  The House resolution’s cuts are supposed to be unspecified reductions in veterans’ benefits that root out “waste, fraud, and abuse 

·        Reject Deep Benefits Cuts to Railroad Retirees’ Pensions — The House budget instructed the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to cut direct spending in its jurisdiction by $3.7 billion over the next ten years.  By far, the largest portion of direct spending under the Committee’s jurisdiction (about $13 billion out of $16 billion annually) goes to railroad retirement and unemployment benefits.  It would be difficult to find $3.7 billion in savings elsewhere in the Committee’s jurisdiction, suggesting that the House might have to cut railroad retirement and unemployment benefits in order to meet the reconciliation directive.  In fiscal year 2000, the Railroad Retirement Board paid retirement and survivor benefits to 673,000 recipients and unemployment and sickness benefits to nearly 37,000 recipients.

·        Reject $61.5 Billion Cut in Aid for Working Families and the Disabled — The House budget requires the Ways and Means Committee to cut $61.5 billion in direct spending over the next ten years from programs in its jurisdiction.  The major income support programs likely to be affected, in addition to Medicare, include Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the Earned Income Tax Credit, child care, Unemployment Insurance, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.   

·        Reject Cuts of $18.6 Billion to Agriculture Programs Such as Food Stamps and Farm Support Payments — The House budget requires the Agriculture Committee to cut $18.6 billion over ten years from direct spending programs under its jurisdiction.  The Food Stamp program accounts for over half of the direct spending under the Agriculture Committee’s control, and serves as a vital support system for America’s working families.  With the 2002 Farm Bill, Congress renewed the federal government’s commitment to our nation’s farmers and ranchers, rural communities, and environmental management