[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 18, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H1944]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H1944]]
                        DIVISIVE PARTISAN BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bonner). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, let me just begin by saying if the 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt) would like to finish any 
additional comments, I appreciate his focus tonight on this budget.
  Mr. Speaker, we are on the eve of a war in Iraq. We are at a time 
when we should be coming together as a Nation, and yet I am 
disappointed to say that this budget that may be on the floor of the 
House on the very day perhaps that we go to war is a divisive, partisan 
budget. I would hope the leadership of the House would choose to delay 
the consideration of this bill for many reasons, not the least of which 
is it will divide this House when we should be linking arms to support 
our troops, support the Commander in Chief in our war against Iraq.
  This budget has many shortcomings that have been discussed in the 
last hour, but I would like to say that I think it is an unfair budget, 
as well as an irresponsible budget. It proposes the largest deficit in 
the history of the United States. Let me repeat: It proposes the 
largest deficit in the history of the United States.
  In doing so, it asks tremendous sacrifices from some American 
citizens, including combat-injured, disabled veterans whose 
compensation and pension checks could be reduced significantly, while, 
on the other hand, providing lavish tax breaks to some of the 
wealthiest among us in this country. It seems to me that that budget 
flies in the face of the principle of shared sacrifice.
  I am not here tonight or any night, Mr. Speaker, to attack those who 
have worked hard, been successful financially, created businesses and 
jobs, but I would say once America goes to war, it is not fair to ask 
for sacrifices from our men and women in uniform who are putting their 
lives on the line in the days ahead to ask for sacrifices from combat-
injured World War II, Korean, and Vietnam and Desert Storm veterans and 
then turn around and say to a constituent in my district that it is 
okay for a person to make a million dollars a year in dividend income 
while sitting comfortably in security in their own home in central 
Texas and not have to pay one dime in taxes on that million dollars of 
income.
  It is not right having the administration propose a billion-and-a-
half-dollars cut in military construction appropriations that helps 
provide housing and day care and quality-of-life programs for our 
servicemen and women and the families who sacrifice so many times as 
much as those who wear our Nation's uniform. It is not right to put a 
burden on hard-working, average-income and low-income families through 
cuts in education commitments; through dramatic cuts in Medicaid 
funding, which provides health care for low-income children; through 
cuts in Medicare, which is important for rural and urban hospitals to 
provide quality care and Medicare, the program that is so valuable and 
so necessary to so many senior citizens on fixed incomes.
  This is not a budget worthy of support in this House. We should 
respect the fact that our Nation is about to send its sons and 
daughters into combat. I will support our Commander in Chief in that 
effort because I believe we do need to work together to send a clear 
message to Saddam Hussein and to our soldiers, our servicemen and women 
in the Iraqi theater that we are behind them, but we do not do that 
this week by passing a bill that underfunds some military programs such 
as housing and quality-of-life programs, underfunds Medicare and 
Medicaid, asks for sacrifice from farmers, senior citizens and young 
people trying to make a better life for themselves through a college 
education, while at the same time providing massive tax cuts for the 
wealthiest Americans who benefit from the sacrifices of average working 
folks who make up the heart and soul of our military forces.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the leadership of this House to consider pulling 
down this divisive, partisan budget bill. Let us come back together, 
put together a bill we can all be proud to support, and, in doing so, 
keep America unified, keep this Congress unified, and let our 
servicemen and women know that we are behind them.

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