[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 33 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H1681-H1682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE FISCAL YEAR 2006 BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the 2006 budget that we just 
passed that now moves to a conference committee makes the wrong choices 
for our Nation. It reflects secured priorities and runs counter to our 
deepest held beliefs. This budget embraces disastrous economic policies 
while at the same time fails to put forward a vision of what this great 
country of the United States should be.
  What America needs instead are responsible policies that reflect our 
values and helps bring our Nation together and invests in the future by 
expanding opportunity. But this budget proposes to cut vital domestic 
investments and services for the middle class, for our veterans, for 
our seniors, for our children, for the needy among us, while continuing 
to accumulate a huge budget deficit.
  And, Mr. Speaker, there is no State in the union that is hurt more 
from this budget, from the cuts of it these budgets, than our State of 
Georgia. And keep in mind, Mr. Speaker, this is a State that just 
recently voted overwhelmingly for the President. But yet here we are in 
Georgia suffering more from this budget than any other State, $800 
million cut from the Centers For Disease Control when we need all of 
the help we can get to fight the mounting diseases, life threatening 
diseases, that are moving across our Nation.
  Sixty million dollars have been cut from last year's spending for 
military construction projects in Georgia, $366.8 million dollars from 
91,050 Georgia children by underfunding No Child Left Behind, $26.7 
million in homeland security funding in Georgia has been cut under this 
budget, $7.9 million has been cut from the Georgia Regional Hospital; 
TRIO programs for almost 13 million Georgians, affecting 13,000 
students and many of these students from impoverished backgrounds, many 
of these students first-time members of college from families. Thirty-
seven million dollars have been cut in Perkins scholarships in Georgia. 
And one particular project, Mr. Speaker, $75,000 has been cut from an 
educational and recreational center in Powder Springs in Cobb County, 
Georgia, in the midst of construction, which halts the construction of 
this badly needed project.
  And let me turn to HOPE VI, one of the most successful housing 
programs this Nation has ever produced. It is being eliminated 
completely from the budget, which revitalizes public housing. And in 
Atlanta, Georgia, in the metropolitan area, HOPE VI is the greatest 
success story among HOPE VI projects in the entire Nation, but it is 
costing our community $120 million in economic loss, not to count the 
millions that is lost from leveraging those badly needed dollars and 
improving the surrounding communities. Heartless and cruel are words 
that come to mind.

[[Page H1682]]

  Section 8 families are cut by 8,700 in Georgia. Community Development 
Block Grants, which our cities and our counties and our local 
communities live by, cut by $211.9 million. And health care for 2 
million Georgia veterans cut. Funding for firefighters cut by 30 
percent.
  This is not a budget of vision. This is not a budget of hope. This is 
a great country. This budget does not reflect the vision of a great 
country. This budget cuts nearly $2 billion out of Georgia's economy. 
And on top of that in spite of the cuts, each Georgia family's share of 
the national debt has been increased by $38,281. This budget is 
irresponsible, and the cuts are going to hurt an awful lot of America's 
precious people.
  As a member of the Blue Dogs, we have repeatedly said we must pay as 
we go. We have repeatedly said that the Federal budget should be an 
honest blueprint for spending of priorities of the Federal Government. 
However, this budget is not honest. It is passing our obligations and 
responsibilities and challenges to our children and our grandchildren 
while cutting vital programs. This budget increases the national debt. 
It increases the deficit while cutting important programs.
  Now we must work, Mr. Speaker, and implore this House/Senate joint 
conference committee to do the responsible thing for America and let us 
move with the vision, the courage that the people of America expect us 
to do and restore these cuts and move forward with a responsible 
budget.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  (Mr. BOYD addressed the House. His remarks will appear hereafter in 
the Extensions of Remarks.)

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