[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 11 (Tuesday, February 3, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H279-H280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE PRESIDENT'S 2005 BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise in great disagreement with the 
funding priorities set forth by our President that was just unveiled a 
few days ago in his 2005 budget. Over and over again we hear that 
President Bush wants to create jobs, protect our environment, and help 
the uninsured and make our Nation a safer place for future generations.
  However, the President has raised or released a budget with the 
record deficit of $521 billion that is, in my opinion, one of the most 
anti-worker, anti-health care, and anti-environmental proposals in 
modern times.
  When the President took office it was the first time in 70 years that 
a President had a surplus, a surplus of $5.6 trillion. For the third 
year in a row, this administration has proposed more oversize tax cuts 
that just drive the budget further into the red and do nothing to 
bolster the priorities of the American public.
  We need more jobs. We need better access to health care. We need more 
funding for education and more environmental protections. And most of 
all, we need a commitment by this administration to make these 
priorities.
  Let us look at the reality facing our American families. Since 
President Bush took office, the economy is down 2.9 million private 
sector jobs; 2.9 million jobs lost. And I am referring to a chart here, 
unemployment rates in my own district. When I look at the cities that I 
represent, for example, the city of El Monte, we are still upwards of 
7.9 percent in unemployment. In the area of east Los Angeles, where a 
large number of Hispanics live, we are almost up to 10 percent. It has 
been there stagnating for almost 3 years.

                              {time}  2030

  It has not changed the course that the President would like us all to 
believe that somehow the economy is recovering; 90,000 workers a week 
are running out of unemployment benefits with no jobs in sight because 
the Bush economy is creating only one job for every three people that 
are unemployed. Yet we continually hear promises that the tax cuts will 
create jobs. Workers need more economic security, not tax cuts. And 
workers in small businesses, particularly in districts like mine who 
thrive and are the ones that are actually making a better life for us 
in our country, are having to face a 10 percent budget cut in the Small 
Business Administration. And since the year 2001, 2.4 million more 
Americans have lost their health care.

[[Page H280]]

  Again, we have heard the President prioritize health care for all 
Americans. However, creating a refundable tax credit to purchase health 
insurance does not ensure affordable insurance for individuals who are 
older and who have poorer health care. We are in the midst of a health 
care crisis, and the proposed tax care credit would only help 5 percent 
of the 44 million that are currently uninsured in this country.
  The low-income families in my district do not want to hear false 
promises. They need to know that the programs they depend on, like 
Medicaid, are being supported and protected. We cannot ignore once 
again budget cuts, for example, that are being thwarted right now or 
lashed against; the Environmental Protection Agency will cut about 7 
percent of their budget. We hear this administration telling us, we 
protect the environment; we are really doing all of these things 
because we want to have a safer environment, safer drinking water and 
cleaner air. But the majority of the funding that is being taken away 
at this time will, in fact, not protect our environment or public 
health.
  We cannot make these kinds of trade-offs that we are hearing about. 
We cannot increase Superfund funding at the mercy of clean-water 
funding. We cannot steal from Peter to pay Paul. And the budget that 
the Bush administration is proposing cuts funding for leaking 
underground storage tank clean-up which is very critical in my district 
because you see blighted areas right now, you see gas stations that are 
abandoned. There are about 150 of these tanks in my district. They 
release toxic chemicals in our soil and in our water supply.
  Our communities deserve clean air, land and water, and our children's 
health depends upon it. We cannot afford to ignore this.
  The Department of Homeland Security might have received an overall 5 
percent increase, according to this administration, but the President 
proposed cuts in grants to local fire, police, and emergency medical 
agencies which will result in about 18 percent cuts overall, first 
responders, public safety grant cuts by 18 percent from $4.4 billion to 
$3.6 billion. So who is really taking care of the homeland?
  In my district, police departments are already feeling a tremendous 
strain, and many police departments are already proposing massive 
layoffs. In fact, one of the best programs that I can tell you about in 
my district is known as a community-oriented police service program, 
the COPS program, which is one of the very basic programs that helps 
provide the local cop on the beat. That is now being penciled out.
  Our first responders must provide critical lifesaving services. I can 
go on and on, but the fact of the matter is we are talking about cuts 
in jobs and in education.

                          ____________________