[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 31 (Thursday, March 11, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E363]]
           ESTABLISHING THE BUDGET FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

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                           HON. MAXINE WATERS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 11, 2004

  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the CBC Chairman for 
organizing this Special Order and providing us with this opportunity to 
speak about one of the most important duties Congress has--establishing 
the budget for the Federal government.
  It is often said that a budget is an indication of the President's 
priorities. As this budget certainly is a true reflection of the 
President's priorities, it's painfully obvious that working men and 
women have much to be concerned about. This budget cuts funding for 
dozens of important programs, leads us deeper into debt and does 
nothing to help stimulate the economy.
  Since the President took office in 2001, 3 million private sector 
jobs and 2.8 million manufacturing jobs have been lost. The 
unemployment rate is 5.6 percent, though this figure is inaccurate 
because it fails to take into account the hundreds of thousands of 
workers that have given up looking for jobs and the many workers who 
have had to ``trade down'' in salary and benefits in order to become 
re-employed. If we were to include these men and women, the 
unemployment rate would be 7.4 percent. Tragically, the unemployment 
figures for minorities are far worse--almost 10 percent of African-
Americans are unemployed.
  We should not be proud of these figures. We should be ashamed of 
them. We certainly should not be praising an economic plan that has 
failed our workers, as the President, and all too many of my Republican 
colleagues continue to do each day.
  Unfortunately, the President's fiscal year 2005 budget is a 
continuation of his failed economic policy. Each year the President 
promises economic recovery and significant job growth, and every year, 
the American people are disappointed. The so-called economic recovery 
that President Bush is touting is a jobless recovery and Mr. Speaker, a 
jobless recovery is no recovery at all.
  Mr. Speaker, let me remind you of the promises that this 
Administration has made regarding job growth. In 2001, the President's 
Council of Economic Advisors promised 800,000 new jobs by the end of 
2002 if Congress passed his $1.3 trillion tax cut which largely 
benefited the wealthiest of Americans. Instead of creating these jobs, 
2.2 million workers lost their jobs in 2002.
  In 2002, the President's Economic Advisors promised 300,000 new jobs 
if Congress passed the President's economic stimulus plan. Congress 
did, and thousands more workers lost their jobs.
  In 2003, the Council predicted 900,000 new jobs if Congress passed 
the President's budget and subsequent tax cuts. Congress did but the 
results were the same as in previous years--thousands more workers 
without jobs.
  This year, we continue to hear the same rhetoric from the President--
`pass my budget and watch the economy grow.' The President seems to 
suggest that recovery is just around the corner. However, that `corner' 
has proven to be elusive for the past 3 years, and there is no reason 
to believe that this budget will be any different. In fact, there is 
ample reason to believe that this year will be far worse.
  Mr. Speaker, not only will this budget do nothing to help stimulate 
the economy, it fails to provide funding for educational, job training 
and other programs that our workers rely upon to become effective 
workers.
  For example, the President's budget cuts funding for dozens of 
education programs including reading and vocational programs. It also 
eliminates another 38 education programs including community technology 
centers, dropout prevention programs, and literacy programs for 
prisoners.
  The budget even underfunds the President's signature program, No 
Child Left Behind, by $9.4 billion. By underfunding this program, 2.4 
million children will not receive the help with reading and math they 
were promised when the President signed this bill into law.
  Furthermore, this budget places additional burdens on men and women 
who are trying to get off welfare and into decent paying jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, as you know, during reauthorization of our Nation's 
welfare programs, Congress implemented new requirements that required 
welfare recipients to work additional hours in order to receive 
benefits. Yet, we did not provide any additional funding for childcare. 
As a result, parents receiving TANF benefits often are left with the 
impossible choice of leaving their child home alone or skipping a day 
at work.
  Unfortunately, this budget continues this devastating policy. It 
freezes funding for childcare at 2004 levels and flat funds it through 
2009. As a result, the number of children that receive childcare 
assistance will decline by 300,000 over the next four years. In 
addition, the budget only provides half of the funding promised for 
after-school programs, meaning that 1.3 million children who were 
promised after-school services will not get them.
  Mr. Speaker, the fiscal year 2005 budget is nothing more than a 
continuation of failed policies. It explodes the deficit, particularly 
in the fiscal years that the Bush Administration fails to describe in 
its budget documents. It fails to meet our people's need for 
healthcare, education, job training, housing, homeland security and 
many other critical programs. All these priorities are being sacrificed 
to pay for outrageous tax cuts for millionaires, those who need it 
least. I urge my colleagues to reject the President's budget and 
support a budget that will serve the poor and the middle class and 
provide meaningful assistance to the American people.

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