[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 51 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H2542-H2543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1050
GOP AGENDA OF MISGUIDED PRIORITIES
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Payne) for 5 minutes.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise not to debate the economic
crisis. Our national debt recently reached $14 trillion and our deficit
continues to rise annually. So we know that we have a crisis, and that
is really not the debate here today. However, I want to remind my
colleagues that our economic deficit is dependent on our job deficit
and our ever-growing education deficit.
While we must work to rein in spending, we must not indiscriminately
cut funding in areas like education, health, and employment that will
hamper our immediate and future economic growth. As we remain vigilant
in cutting the debt and reducing deficits, we must remember that the
most powerful driver of both is a growing economy, which includes an
increase in revenue.
During this recession, unemployment has impeded economic growth. One
of the challenges in addressing unemployment has been the rapid decline
in certain occupations and industries and our labor market's inability
to meet the demand of new occupations and industries.
More than two-thirds of workers in occupations and industries that
are growing have at least some postsecondary education compared to one-
third of the workers in occupations and industries that are declining.
The demand for a post-secondary education, as well as the increase in
baby boomer
[[Page H2543]]
retirement, is predicted to result in a shortage of more than 14
million college-educated workers by the year 2020. This is the deficit
that should garner our national attention and we should work together
on. We can only address this through our continued focus on education,
training, employment, and social services, which make up a total of 2
percent of our Federal budget.
To build sustainable economic growth, we must continue our investment
in employment and training programs, which have experienced an increase
in demand of support for displaced and unemployed workers. We must
continue our investment in higher education by maintaining Pell Grant
funding, as well as support for programs such as TRIO, which sends the
largest amount of low-income students to and through college, which
helps the economic prowess of this country. We must continue our
investment in title I programs, which are intended to supplement local
resources of underserved schools, which bring our economy down.
We must continue our investment in School Improvement Grants, which
provide important resources for States to turn around their lowest-
performing schools and significantly reduce the high school dropout
rate, which causes our country a great deal of deficit.
We must continue our investment in programs that address the 17,000
word gap between low-income 6-year-olds and their more advantaged
peers. We must support programs such as Head Start that work to
dismantle the cradle-to-prison pipeline and replace it with a cradle-
to-career pipeline by providing early childhood education to low-income
children. These supports, in tandem, produce a higher number of
taxpaying citizens and add growth to our economy. Yet, my colleagues
continually try to attack these efforts by cutting these programs.
Further, my colleagues--who made a ``pledge to America'' to develop a
plan to create jobs, end economic uncertainty, and make America more
competitive--continuously introduce and support measures to undermine
this pledge and devastate our economic growth as a Nation.
In March, unemployment fell to 8.8 percent, a 2-year low. Payrolls
grew to 216,000 for the month, following 194,000 in February. Private
hiring rose by 230,000 people in March, following a 240,000 growth in
February. Manufacturing expanded to a 7-year high in March. Incomes and
consumer spending increased in February, helping to expand the economy.
Yet, ignoring economic facts, the experts, the political reality, and
the best interests of the American people, the Republicans continue to
embrace an ideological spending plan that would destroy 700,000 jobs
and derail the economic recovery just as it is beginning to gain
momentum.
The current Republican spending plan would: Give away tax breaks to
companies that shift jobs overseas; give away tens of billions of
dollars in tax subsidies to Big Oil companies; and make tax cuts for
the wealthy permanent, which adds $1 trillion to the deficit.
This plan would kick almost 1 million college students out of the
Pell Grant program.
218,000 low income children and families would be removed from the
Head Start program.
170,000 families trying to find or retain employment would lose
childcare.
2,400 schools serving nearly a million low-income students would lose
funding.
Job training programs for those out of work or attaining new skills
would be dramatically cut.
Guaranteed coverage for seniors under Medicare would be eliminated.
Cuts will be made to Medicaid for seniors in nursing homes, health
care for children and Americans with disabilities.
This spending plan that my colleagues have proposed only highlights
the misplaced priorities.
The Republican budget is the wrong choice for the American people: it
is unfair; it doesn't create jobs; and it doesn't grow the economy.
This proposal attempts to cut the deficit on the backs of working
families, seniors, children, and our middle class. But I contend: We
cannot build this country's economy on the backs of the vulnerable.
The public wants Democrats and Republicans to negotiate and
compromise. My Democratic colleagues and I are willing to make
responsible budget cuts that don't cost jobs, don't hurt the economy
and that reduce the deficit responsibly.
Yet, our Republican colleagues continue to waste precious time with
draconian spending proposals filled with divisive ``policy riders''
that are unacceptable to the American people.
This is irresponsible. Working families deserve more. Our children
deserve more. Our future as a Nation deserves more.
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