House Passes Fair and Balanced Budget Resolution
Thursday, March 13, 2008
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn today released the following statement regarding passage of H.Con.Res. 312, a concurrent resolution on the Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 2009.
“By passing a federal budget resolution that seeks to reverse our economic woes, make America safer, and more adequately tend to the needs of our nation’s underprivileged, the House Democratic Leadership has demonstrated that it is fully committed to moving our country in a New Direction. Along with combating our looming national debt and defending our homeland against clandestine foreign terrorist networks, this budget also fully funds programs that provide vital assistance to our nation’s working families, low-income seniors, and veterans. Furthermore it does not raise taxes.
“Tax relief and job creation serve as economic centerpieces of this budget. This resolution provides Alternative Minimum Tax Relief to over 20 million hardworking families and extends child tax credits to middle-income households. Furthermore, this proposal will help to create jobs and stimulate our economy with substantial investments in our manufacturing sector and job training programs.
“This budget also properly prioritizes our nation’s homeland security initiatives and increases funding for our nation’s veterans. This Democratic budget protects Americans at home by increasing homeland security funding and by rejecting the President’s cuts to our first responder programs. In addition, this resolution substantially increases funding for veteran programs and allocates enough resources to our VA hospitals to treat 5.8 million patients this fiscal year, including 333,275 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.
“Beyond just being a fiscally sound resolution, this Democratic budget also has a moral and humanitarian composition to it in that it tends to the needs of the “least of these.” This legislation accommodates up to a $50 billion increase to expand children’s health insurance to cover millions of uninsured children. Furthermore, this budget provides $7.1 billion more than the President for essential education, job training, and social services programs.
“I would like to commend House Budget Chairman and fellow South Carolinian, Congressman John Spratt, for putting together a document that fairly and comprehensively addresses the compounding and varying needs of our nation. This economically sound resolution not only tackles America’s most urgent priorities but also serves as a fiscal guide that will push our country in a New Direction.”
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