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(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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