HOUSE RESOLUTION SETS COURSE FOR BALANCED BUDGET BY 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today approved a 2009 budget resolution, H.Con.Res. 312, that increases federal funding for veterans, cuts taxes for middle-class Kansas families, and cracks down on wasteful spending.

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (Kansas Second District) said, “I’ve always promised to vote to extend middle class tax relief, and today’s vote does exactly that. The last thing middle-class families can afford is to watch their tax cuts expire on President Bush’s schedule.”

The resolution rejects deep cuts in Medicare, veterans’ health care, and law enforcement programs proposed by the Administration. Boyda added, “The president’s budget would have left our nation less secure, our children further in debt, and our veterans without promised medical services.”

The resolution passed today by the U.S. House, H.Con.Res. 312, focuses on programs that will help our country today and tomorrow. It provides for:

• the expansion of children’s health insurance coverage – up to $50 billion
• reforms to protect access to care for Medicare beneficiaries
• an increase in veterans’ funding by $3.6 billion over current levels
• expanded investments in renewable energy programs and “green collar” job training

The budget also promotes math and science education, and extends tax cuts that target middle-income families. Specifically, the resolution calls for an increase in child tax credits, and it proposes extending tax relief for people who fall in the 10-percent tax bracket. These tax cuts were initially enacted by President Bush and the Republican Congress in 2000 but were set to expire in 2010.