Ross is adamantly opposed to funding cuts for programs that affect the poor, disabled and elderly.  Throughout the week, Ross was vocal in his opposition to the budget reconciliation bill, managing time on the floor of the United States of House of Representatives and participating in a press conference with leadership of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, where he serves as Whip.  Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional district, ranking 415 out of 435 among Congressional Districts throughout the country in average income per household, will be disproportionately affected by these budget cuts.  The Budget reconciliation package includes $11.4 billion in cuts to Medicaid, $14.3 billion in cuts to federal student aid programs, the largest cut the federal student aid program has ever seen, $3.7 billion in cuts to farm programs, including cuts to commodity programs, conservation programs, renewable energy programs, and rural development, and nearly $700 million in cuts to food stamps.   

“This Republican-led budget reconciliation package provides for nearly $50 billion in mandatory cuts to important programs that directly and adversely impact the poor, disabled and elderly,” said Ross.  “Contrary to some propaganda, this is not about offsetting the cost for Hurricane Katrina.  The Republican leadership did not demand mandatory spending cuts in our nation’s budget when Congress passed $82 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations for Iraq.  It is clear that Hurricane Katrina is being used as a guise to hide the real motivation for the mandatory spending cuts – which is to partially offset the $70 billion in new tax cuts included in this year’s budget for those people earning over $400,000 a year.  In other words, this so-called Deficit Reduction Act actually increase the debt by over $20 billion.” 

“At a time when 45 million people are without health insurance, we have an obligation, as citizens and lawmakers, to make health insurance readily available to those who need it most.  These are the very programs that we should be funding, not cutting,” said Ross.

“This budget reconciliation package slashes funding for student loans,” Ross continued.  “We should not be asking America’s students to sacrifice their future in order to offset today’s tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year.  

“This vote is about priorities,” explained Ross.  “This Republican-led Congress believes it is more important to fund new tax cuts for those earning over $400,000 a year than to fund programs that benefit the poor, disabled and elderly.  The idea of cutting programs that impact the poorest among us to fund tax cuts for the wealthiest does not reflect the values that I was raised on and still believe in.”

As Whip of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, Ross remains steadfast in his commitment to restoring fiscal responsibility to our nation’s government and supports the Blue Dog Coalition’s ‘12-Point Plan’ which outlines guidelines to achieve a balanced budget.
 

“The Blue Dog ‘12-Step 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 or tax cuts must be paid for decrease in spending in other programs -- and justifying spending for pet projects,” said Ross. “Our budget plan has received tremendous praise from many non-partisan watchdog groups across the country.  If the Republican-led Congress truly is serious about deficit reduction, they would have endorsed and adopted the Blue Dog ‘12-Point Plan’ plan long ago.”