WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) voted against the irresponsible Republican budget that would continue the country down the path of higher deficits and fewer jobs. “President Bush has failed working Americans again, this time, by shortchanging education programs, denying unemployment insurance, slashing health programs, eviscerating environmental programs and shortchanging veterans,” said Rep. Woolsey. The budget resolution, H.Con.Res. 393, passed the U.S. House of Representatives 215-212.

“President Bush ran as the ‘Education President’ yet, he continues to underfund his own education program, ‘No Child Left Behind’ by $9.4 billion, and since 2002, he has underfunded ‘No Child Left Behind’ by $27 billion,” said Rep. Woolsey. “I offered an amendment to improve the President’s budget by pushing for $3 billion dollars more, this year, for education programs like No Child Left Behind, IDEA, and raising PELL grants to $4,500 – but the House Republicans refused to make these improvements.”

As Chair of the Democratic Task Force on Children and Families and Ranking Member of the Education Reform subcommittee of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, Rep. Woolsey knows that Americans want and deserve better. “If we can cut taxes for the most comfortable Americans; if we can preemptively go to war; and, if we can even think about sending a man to Mars, we can give families the tools they need to succeed here on Earth. The President’s budget will not help working families and their children.”

While increasing the national deficit to a record $521 billion, with projections of $1.6 trillion over the next ten years, the Presidential FY05 budget attacks children and families in five key ways: · Shortchanges education reform efforts by $9.4 billion - 2.4 million children will not receive the help with reading and math they were promised under “No Child Left Behind” · Fails to extend unemployment insurance for the long-term unemployed - Bush budget fails to extend unemployment insurance to help 4.6 million unemployed Americans, even though nearly 2 million people have been looking or work for over 6 months without having found a job · Does nothing to create jobs and won’t end incentives to ship jobs overseas - Over 3 million private sector jobs have been lost since President Bush took office - The President’s budget underfunds the Small Business Administration · The President’s budget cuts environmental protection programs - Cuts $1.6 billion from environmental programs in 2005 and cuts an additional $6.4 billion over the next five years - Taxpayers will pay to clean up Superfund sites, rather than the costs being covered by the Trust Fund · Republican budget cuts health programs - Cuts $358 million from health programs in 2005 - Cuts SCHIP by $2.2 billion over the next five years