[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 169 (Monday, October 30, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2068]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE 7 YEAR BALANCED BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT OF 1995

                                 ______


                               speech of

                         HON. RONALD D. COLEMAN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 26, 1995

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2491) to 
     provide for reconciliation pursuant to section 105 of the 
     concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1996:

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. Chairman, Republicans have not only targeted the 
sick, disabled, elderly, and women in this Congress, but now they are 
targeting children. Children do not have a voice in the legislature, 
but trust us to protect their interests. This Congress has betrayed 
that trust by waging an all-out war on children in the budget.
  The battle has been waged on a number of different fronts: health 
care, disabled assistance, education, nutrition, and social safety 
nets.
  In Texas, Medicaid coverage for as many as 206,641 children will be 
eliminated under Republican proposals by 2002. Currently, 20 percent of 
all children in Texas rely on Medicaid for their basic health needs. 
Medicaid pays for immunizations, regular checkups, and intensive care 
for about 1,407,000 children in Texas.
  There are 148,287 El Pasoans who are eligible for Medicaid. Of those 
eligible, approximately 57,000 are children between the ages of 1 and 
14.
  The Republican budget also repeals the Vaccines for Children Program, 
putting at risk at least $1.5 billion over 7 years that would otherwise 
provide immunizations for children in Texas and across the Nation. In 
the last few years, El Paso has been the site of several outbreaks of 
serious diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis. Without vaccines 
for contagious diseases, the health of the border region would be in 
great danger.
  Children with disabilities are at risk as well. The Republican 
welfare plan denies as many as 54 percent of all disabled children in 
Texas SSI cash benefits in 2002.
  Texas education programs are vitally important to sustain a good 
economy, and my Republican colleagues are set on destroying our 
educational system. In Texas, Head Start would be denied to 12,512 
children in 2002 under the Republican budget. The cuts would also deny 
title I funding to 100,100 children in Texas.
  Not only are we reducing funds in assisting education, but we are 
reducing the ability of administrators to keep their schools safe. The 
Republican budget cuts funding to the Safe and Drug Free Schools 
Program which supplies funding to 1,043 out of 1,053 school districts 
in Texas who use the money to keep crime, violence, and drugs away from 
the children in their schools.
  Not only does the budget limit the opportunities students have, but 
it limits the opportunities they will have outside of school when they 
try to enter the work force. The budget will deny approximately 3,000 
young people in Texas the opportunity to serve their community through 
AmeriCorps. And over 7 years, the Republican budget eliminates summer 
jobs for 297,437 youths in Texas.
  In this family friendly Congress Republicans are picking and choosing 
what type of families they want to help. For example, the Republican 
welfare bill cuts foster care and adoption for vulnerable Texas 
children by $359.5 million over 7 years and eliminates cash assistance 
for 5,260 children in Texas simply because they were born to unmarried 
mothers under 18. Additionally, assistance would be cut to 222,000 
children in Texas simply because their paternity has not been 
established.
  The effort to balance the budget should not include an unnecessary 
and harsh attack on children and their interests. They are the future 
of this country and we must treat them as assets, not liabilities.

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