For Immediate Release                                       Contact: Amanda Molk, 202-225-5256
February 3, 2003

Napolitano Criticizes Bush Budget Proposal

“President Bush submitted a budget proposal that will jeopardize virtually every domestic priority—from social security to homeland security—in favor of costly tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. His outrageous proposal would expand our budget deficit, spend the entire social security surplus and dramatically increase our public debt. He is asking us to mortgage our children’s future, and my answer is NO,” said Congresswoman Napolitano (D-CA38).

Many key components of the Bush budget could severely devastate our economy for years to come. “If the President’s budget is enacted our public debt will top $5 trillion by 2008. This means that for many years to come, we will have to underfund critical programs and pass on an extra tax to our children to pay for our debt,” stated Napolitano.

The President’s budget also calls for freezing or cutting funding for virtually every domestic program. “Bush claims to be the ‘education President’, but he wants to cut funding for 21st Century Learning Centers, teacher quality programs, education technology and student loans. These programs are of critical importance to students in our communities. If there funding is cut, fewer students will be able to participate in enriching after-school programs, fewer students will have access to computers, and fewer students will be able to go to college. This is a huge step backward,” noted the Congresswoman.

Health care programs also face funding cuts. “At a time when more Americans are losing their health insurance, the President wants to cut funding for Medicaid and the SCHIP program which provides insurance for needy children. My constituents are already experiencing great difficulty in receiving care due to county and state budget crises. We helped billion-dollar corporations, like the airlines, but we cannot invest a penny in our health care safety net?,” asked Napolitano.

The President is also proposing transportation cuts. “The proposed $2.5 billion cut in federal-aid highway funding could cripple our area, which is so dependent on automobiles. How does the President propose that my constituents get to work?” the Congresswoman questioned. “My cities need more funding for transportation, education, small business assistance, healthcare and homeland security, and I intend to fight for it,” she continued.

The budget proposal includes $41.3 billion for homeland security—a modest increase. “Unfortunately, the homeland security component of this budget is inadequate. Our local communities need funding to build the infrastructure necessary to keep us safe, and our first responders need resources to prepare for the possibility of another terrorist attack,” stated Napolitano.

The budget does not contain any funding for military initiatives in Iraq. “It is truly frightening that this already severely flawed budget does not even take into account the billions of dollars we will be forced to spend if the President leads us into a war with Iraq,” said the Congresswoman. “A military strike combined with the subsequent rebuilding of Iraq would spell fiscal disaster for the U.S.—a disaster that our children and grandchildren will be forced to shoulder,” she concluded.

Representative Grace F. Napolitano, 38th District of California
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