[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 53 (Friday, March 30, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E514]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 28, 2012

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H. Con. Res. 112) 
     establishing the budget for the United States Government for 
     fiscal year 2013 and setting forth appropriate budgetary 
     levels for fiscal years 2014 through 2022:

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Chair, the Republican budget is yet another 
missed opportunity to confront America's challenges in a balanced and 
responsible way. A budget is a statement of values. This budget makes 
it crystal clear that Republicans value tax cuts for the wealthy and 
special interests, even at the expense of America's middle class, our 
children, the elderly, and even our economic recovery. The values 
supported by several other budgets--the Democratic budget, the 
Progressive budget, and the Black Caucus budget--would restore fairness 
to our broken tax system, invest in rebuilding and renewing America, 
and maintain America's commitment to providing for our most vulnerable 
citizens. The bipartisan budget offered by Reps. Cooper and LaTourette 
fell short of the balanced approach required to address America's 
challenges that was contained in the Simpson-Bowles proposal.
  The Republican budget cuts taxes by an additional $4.6 trillion over 
the next decade and extends the Bush tax cuts, totaling $10 trillion, 
the vast majority of which benefits the top one percent of Americans. 
Republicans are not serious about deficit reduction in their call to 
pay for this tax cut by eliminating tax expenditures and loopholes that 
they refuse to identify. Would they eliminate the mortgage interest 
deduction for middle class families? Or the employer-provided health 
care deduction? Independent analysts have determined it is necessary to 
cut the mortgage interest deduction, the health care deduction, and 
most other expenditures in order to pay for their $10 trillion tax cut.
  Instead of making hard choices, Republicans choose to shift the 
burden even further onto low and middle-income families, seniors, and 
the next generation.
  The Republican budget would cut Medicaid services for disabled 
individuals, children, and low-income families and seniors by $810 
billion over the next decade. It would also cut $122.5 billion from the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, that lifted 3.9 
million Americans, including 1.7 million children, out of poverty in 
2010. This would mean 1,771 fewer jobs and 189 million fewer meals for 
hungry families in Oregon alone.
  For decades, Medicare has guaranteed quality and affordable health 
care to seniors. The Republican budget ends the Medicare guarantee and 
would force seniors to choose to either pay thousands more dollars for 
their existing Medicare plan, or to buy plans with meager benefits that 
will ultimately put their health at risk.
  Independent analyses show that infrastructure investment is one of 
the best ways to put people to work and to strengthen the economy, 
while giving families transportation options and making our communities 
more livable. The Republican budget would cut transportation funding by 
a staggering 46 percent, including for projects that have already 
begun, putting thousands of people out of work and stifling the fragile 
economic recovery. This budget is another missed opportunity to put 
people to work, to strengthen the economy, and to rebuild and rebuild 
America.
  In contrast, the budgets offered by Democrats, the Progressive 
Caucus, and the Black Caucus take a responsible and balanced approach 
to putting America's finances back on a sustainable path. These budgets 
address the infrastructure deficit and expand access to education and 
job training to build a stronger America and to prepare the next 
generation to be the innovators that will lead us through the 21st 
century. These budgets restore tax fairness by asking the most well off 
to pay a little more. Recognizing the need to bring our troops home, 
eliminate wasteful weapons programs, and right-size our military, these 
budgets will help reduce the defense budget in a responsible way that 
maintains the world's strongest military and supports our troops 
without threatening our economic security.
  I am saddened that Republicans produced a political document that 
continues their belief that massive tax cuts for those who need them 
the least will move America forward, even while they slash funding for 
transportation and infrastructure investment, nutrition assistance, 
Pell grants, and health care. The American people have rejected this 
unbalanced and unfair approach and so do I.

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