Throughout the week I have studied the Administration's budget released from the White House. This budget makes funding cuts to many programs crucial to Southern West Virginia. The budget cuts funding for veterans' health care, educational programs, local police and fire stations, Amtrak, and programs that fund rural economic development for West Virginia. The Administration is asking for many other funding cuts as well, all while increasing foreign aid funding to other countries by $3.1 billion. And this budget doesn't take into account the expected costs of the rebuilding in Iraq or Afghanistan or the President's plan to privatize Social Security, which Vice President Cheney estimated would cost trillions of dollars.

Clearly, I have many concerns with the new budget proposal. I will be fighting tooth and nail to ensure funding for the programs important to West Virginia, but with this crowd in control these changes will be difficult.

Today, I want to highlight one funding cut that is particularly damaging to West Virginian. The budget proposes a cut of $700 million (14 percent) to the United States Army Corps of Engineers budget. The Corps manages 11,000 miles of inland waterways and maintains 300 ports and harbors here in America. This major budget cut could result in as many as 40 projects being terminated here at home.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Huntington District serves all of Southern West Virginia, as well as parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina. In the past, the Corps has come to our aid in West Virginia by helping in the recovery of some of our most devastating floods. Additionally, the Huntington District has tried to stop future floods by designing and constructing flood control dams, levees and floodwalls.

The Corps is a great asset in preventing floods and dealing with them if they do occur. In recent years the Corps has been spread thin in West Virginia and cutting their funding will not allow them to take on more efforts. Recognizing the devastating impact of the many recent floods in our state, it is clear we need the Corps now more than ever. Cutting the Corps' overall budget cuts its ability to respond during a natural disaster in West Virginia.

And this is not all the Army Corps of Engineers does for West Virginia and our Nation. The Corps also helps with water treatment, maintains our waterways and wetlands, and helps protect our environment. In short, there are many different ways that the Corps helps Southern West Virginia and cutting their funds will cut the amount of projects the Corps can take on in our area.

For instance, the Corps has also been instrumental in helping with my Southern West Virginia Infrastructure Initiative. In July 2003, the Army Corps of Engineers supplied a grant of $2 million for the Shady Spring Public Service District's Flat Top/Ghent sewer extension project. This money helped extend sewer service to approximately 100 commercial and residential customers in the area. It also included service to Winterplace Ski Resort and to the Interstate Highway 77 interchange at Ghent for future economic development initiatives.

The most appalling thing about this budget cut is that while we needed extra help in the past and did not receive it, the Administration would have the Army Corps of Engineers spend time and money rebuilding the wetlands in Iraq! It is unbelievable that this Administration thinks it is more important to help Iraq with its infrastructure and flood lands than it is to help West Virginia and the rest of our Nation.

Of course the Administration will never admit that Iraq is more of a priority than West Virginia, but actions speak louder than words and the budget is one action that shows where their priorities are.