[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 8, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H369-H370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           REVERSE ROBIN HOOD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this budget is another 
example of reverse Robin Hood, robbing

[[Page H370]]

from the veterans, the homeless, public education, public 
transportation, the poor and the elderly, to give away huge tax breaks 
to those who contributed to President Bush's reelection campaign.

                              {time}  1930

  Let me be clear. This budget is another clear example of reverse 
Robin Hood: robbing from the veterans, the homeless, public education, 
public transportation, the poor and the elderly, to give away huge tax 
breaks to those who contributed to President Bush's reelection 
campaign.
  This administration is cutting the programs that our Nation and its 
citizens need most, while dissolving the safety nets created to protect 
the elderly and less fortunate in this wealthy Nation. This budget cuts 
$500 million in job training at a time when outsourcing has left many 
Americans without work; slashes hundreds of millions in funding for 
police and firefighters used to protect local communities from 
terrorists.
  And let me add that since this administration has been in place, we 
have not funded the COPS program at all.
  It doubles drug copayments for veterans as they struggle to get the 
health care they need. Let me repeat, doubles drug copayments for 
veterans as they struggle to get the health care that they need. It 
cuts funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while 
we are under the threat of a bioterrorist attack. I do not understand 
it. Cuts funding to the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program as fuel 
prices soar.
  Now this is a real gimmick here: It zeroes out funding for Amtrak, 
zeroes out funding for Amtrak, which is the Nation's only mass 
transportation system. And it totally destroys the Medicaid program, 
which protects the poor and elderly.
  Veterans continue to get the short end of the stick when it comes to 
this administration. And let me point out, today's veterans are 
yesterday's soldiers. Those are the people who are fighting to protect 
this country. They are the ones who are getting the short end of the 
stick.
  The budget raises health care costs for hundreds of thousands of 
veterans, imposing new copayments on prescription drugs and enrollment 
fees that will cost veterans hundreds of millions of dollars. As 
America prepares to welcome a new generation of veterans home from 
Iraq, it is short-changing health care programs, providing about $2 
billion less than veterans' service organizations believe is needed.
  And the budget once again fails to repeal the disabled veterans tax, 
which forces disabled military retirees to give up $1 of their pension 
for every $1 of disability pay they receive. We owe it to the soldiers, 
airmen, sailors, and Marines who have served as a source of pride in 
our Nation to begin enrolling Priority 8 veterans into the VA health 
care system. However, charging each of them an annual $250 fee and 
doubling the copayment on prescription drugs for the privilege is 
unacceptable. These men and women have already paid their deduction in 
their service protecting this country's freedom. Most of the 
``increase'' this administration claims for veterans' medical needs 
come from these fees.
  This budget is completely unrealistic because it leaves out countless 
items. Once administration initiatives like additional costs for 
military operations in Iraq; Social Security privatization, which is 
unacceptable; and permanent tax cuts for the wealthy are included, the 
Nation's deficit, which is the highest in the history of this country, 
will spiral even higher. This is an administration that not only does 
not have a plan to erase the deficit, but by proposing to make their 
tax cuts permanent, they will push the current deficits to sky-high 
levels.
  This is a terrible budget for the American people. The President's 
budget is the people's budget, and I will fight to ensure that my 
constituents' priorities are reflected in this budget.
  The current issues concerning Amtrak brings up a fundamental question 
of where this Nation stands on public Transportation. We have an 
opportunity to improve a system that serves our need for passenger rail 
service, or we can let it fall apart, and leave this country's 
travelers and businesses with absolutely no alternative form of public 
transportation.
  Without the funding Amtrak needs to keep operating, we will soon see 
people that rely on Amtrak to get them to work each day, waiting for a 
train that isn't coming.
  We continue to subsidize highways and aviation, but when it comes to 
our passenger rail system, we refuse to provide the money Amtrak needs 
to survive.
  This issue is so much bigger than just transportation. This is about 
safety and national security. Not only should we be giving Amtrak the 
money it needs to continue providing service, we should be providing 
security money to upgrade their tracks and improve safety and security 
measures in the entire rail system.
  Once again we see the Bush Administrations paying for its failed 
policies by cutting funds to vital public services and jeopardizing 
more American jobs. This Administration sees nothing wrong with taking 
money from the hard working Amtrak employees who work day and night to 
provide top quality service to their passengers. These folks are trying 
to make a living for their families, and they don't deserve this shabby 
treatment from the President.
  It's time for this Administration to step up to the plate and make a 
decision about Amtrak based on what's best for the traveling public, 
not what's best for the right wing of the Republican party and the bean 
counters at OMB.
  I represent Central Florida, which depends on tourism for its 
economy, and we need people to be able to get to the state to enjoy it. 
Ever since September 11th, more and more people are turning from the 
airlines to Amtrak, and they deserve safe and dependable service.
  Some people think that the solution to the problem is to privatize 
the system. If we privatize, we will see the same thing we saw when we 
deregulated the airline industry. Only the lucrative routes would be 
maintained, and routes to Rural locations will be expensive and few.
  I was in New York shortly after September 11th when the plane leaving 
JFK airport crash into the Bronx. I, along with many of my colleagues 
in both the House and Senate took AMTRAK back to Washington. I realized 
once again just how important AMTRAK is to the American people, and how 
important it is for this Nation to have alternative modes of 
Transportation.
  This isn't about fiscal policy, this is about providing a safe and 
reliable public transportation system that the citizens of this Nation 
need and deserve.

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