It was an eloquent and perilous inaugural. The central idea, which the American people ought to think about, was that "America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one."

I applaud the Administration and congressional leadership for prioritizing the defining issue of our time by stressing our national security needs in the budget passed by the U.S. House of Representatives recently. There is no more important national priority than fighting an effective war on terrorism and protecting our homeland.

However, I am disappointed that the remainder of the budget simply fails the American family values test by removing vital support for veterans, education, student loans, Medicaid, and community development. In short, it asks the most from those who have the least, and the least from those who have the most. As a person of faith, I don’t know of any mainstream religion that would support that philosophy.

Going forward, the question that Congress and the Administration must answer is - Are the priorities of the American people reflected in the budget passed by the House of Representatives?

I think the answer is “no” and here are some facts that help answer that question:

This budget reduces the VA budget when adjusted for inflation, by $14 billion over 5 years and requires a $798 million cut for disabled and low income veterans’ pensions and for G.I. education benefits. Several national veterans’ organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion strongly opposed the House passed budget because cutting veterans health care services and benefits by $14 billion over the next five years will deny health care to millions of veterans, including Iraqi war veterans. This sends a terrible message to today’s service men and women fighting our war on terrorism.

If you conservatively estimate that health care inflation will rise 5% this year, this budget still cuts more than $500 million from the VA budget in fiscal year 2006 alone. And that is before taking into account the expected increase of 100,000 veterans in the VA health care system next year, which the VA admits will cost an additional $620 million.

I realize it is expensive to keep our health care promises to veterans, but it is morally wrong to break these promises. We simply cannot ask our servicemen and women to fight our nation’s wars and then turn our backs on them when the fighting is over.

As someone who relied on financial aid to get through college, I am also disappointed that this budget will make it harder for middle class students to receive college grants, loans, and participate in work study programs. The House budget requires the Committee on Education and Workforce to cut funding by $2 billion in 2006; $21 billion over five years, jeopardizing student loan programs. This budget will raise loan fees, ending students’ ability to consolidate their loans at a fixed interest rate, and completely eliminate the Perkins loan. As a result, nearly 500,000 college students could actually see their financial aid cut next year if these proposals become law.

With tuition rates skyrocketing in Texas since the state legislature deregulated tuition in 2003 and the state’s share of funding for higher education dropping to historic lows, the federal government must do more, not less, to ensure financial aid is available for deserving students trying to receive a quality college education.

Fiscal responsibility is also a moral value that families understand and expect from leaders in Washington. One might expect that these cuts would at least result in significant decreases in our growing $7.7 trillion national debt. Not so. We continue to face a “worst of both worlds” scenario, in which we suffer both devastating cuts and dangerous increases in the deficit.

I am willing to make tough cuts in order to balance our budget, as long as they are fair and responsible. However, I don’t think it’s fair to cut veterans’ health care, college student loans and community economic development programs to pay for tax cuts for members of Congress or to protect the $220,000 annual windfall tax break received by those who make $1 million a year in dividend income.

This Congress can begin to get its fiscal house in order tomorrow simply by following the example of American families everywhere. Reinstate a real pay-as-you-go budget rule, supported by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, which applies to both tax cuts and spending, and we can return to the balanced budgets of the nineties that boosted the economy.

Government budgets shouldn’t be about handouts to those who simply refuse to work, but they should reflect our values of helping those who are working hard to help themselves and veterans who have protected our nation in time of war.

House and Senate leaders must soon meet to iron out their budget differences in a conference committee. It is my hope that they will craft a bipartisan budget truly worthy of our national values.