Bush Budget Cuts Apple to the Core

"For the eighth year in a row, the Bush budget cuts City core services to pay for wealthy tax breaks," said. Rep. Weiner. "The President is gutting the Medicare program by pounding the institutions that are our safety net providers."

"The latest Bush budget proposal is an insult to the hard working taxpayers of New York," said Rep. Nadler. "It is a continuation of his 'more of the same' policy of increasing debt and fiscal responsibility. In New York alone, his proposal would gut vital public health, safety and education programs. This is a time that we should be investing in -- and not seeking to undermine -- our economy."

• Budget proposes cutting Medicare by $178 billion over the next five years. 
• Proposed cut in federal support for teaching hospitals by more than half.
• Funding for 9/11 health would be slashed from $108 million to only $25 million, a 77% decrease.  The program that provides medical monitoring and treatment for first responders, residents, students, and others whose health was affected by the collapse of the World Trade Center is expected to need more than $200 million this year alone.
• Reimbursements for hospitals treating large numbers of low-income patients, such as New York City’s 3 million uninsured, would be cut by $20.6 billion over the next five years.

• New York City would get $6.7 million less from the State Homeland Security Grant Program than in 2006.
• For the 7th year in a row, Bush zeroes out the C.O.P.S. program. Under funding levels signed into law by the President in January 2006, New York City should have gotten an estimated $2.4 million dollars, enough funding to hire 53 new police officers.
• New York City would receive absolutely nothing, zero, from Bush’s proposed elimination of the SCAAP program, which is used to defray the costs incurred by the City to incarcerate illegal aliens who break the law. The Mayor requested $61 million.
• Proposed eliminating the Justice Assistance Grant program, which is federal assistance to local law enforcement, while the Mayor requested $17.5 million for NYC in 2009.