FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
March 10, 2004
Contact:  Adrienne Elrod
(202) 225-3772
 

Ross, House Leaders Concerned Over Bush Budget’s Impact on 
African Americans
 
(Washington, D.C.) Fourth District Rep. Mike Ross joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and other Members of Congress Wednesday to express concern over President Bush’s proposed budget for 2005, which negatively impacts African Americans. Bush’s budget fails to create jobs and instead, shortchanges education, health care, and veterans benefits.

“President Bush’s budget does nothing to create good-paying jobs here at home,” said Ross. “The African American unemployment rate today is 9.8 percent -- nearly double that of the overall national unemployment rate. 

“His budget also fails to adequately address the growing health care crisis our country faces today. There are 7.4 million African Americans without health insurance, and millions more who can barely afford to pay their premiums. But instead of creating a budget that tries to help them, Bush’s proposed budget instead includes $46 billion in special payments to HMO’s, and does nothing to lower the high-cost of prescription drugs.” 

The average African American family gets only $25 from the centerpiece of the President’s so-called “growth” package – the elimination of the tax on stock dividends.  At the same time, the President’s budget slashes funding for small business programs designed to help the 800,000 African American-owned businesses nationwide thrive. 

The Bush Administration’s budget guts Head Start, which helps more than 297,000 African American children enter school ready to learn.  And it eliminates Even Start, which helps 9,500 African American children and often their parents learn to read. 

“It’s all about priorities,” said Ross. “Nine million Americans are out of work today, including 1.6 African Americans. Forty-four million Americans today lack health insurance, including 7.4 million African Americans. And we’re on track to run a record $521 billion deficit. We have got to get our priorities back in order, and President Bush’s budget fails to do that.
 

Other Members of Congress participating with Ross and Pelosi in today’s press conference include Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD-07), Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), Rep. Max Sandlin (TX-01), Rep. Denise Majette (GA-04), and Rep. Artur Davis (AL-07).


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