[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 77 (Thursday, May 4, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            PEOPLE'S BUDGET

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2017

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank my colleagues, 
Congressman Keith Ellison and Congressman Raul Grijalva, for their 
tireless leadership of the Progressive Caucus.
  I would also like to thank to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and 
Congresswoman Jamie Raskin for hosting this Special Order Hour and for 
their work on this budget. It truly is a document we all can be proud 
of. Mr. Speaker, the federal budget is, at its heart, a moral document. 
It tells a story to the American people, and it tells the world who and 
what we care about.
  Mr. Speaker, President Trump's outrageous budget that he released 
last month revealed what we've long suspected: President Trump's only 
concern is for himself and his rich friends.
  His budget is both hateful and counterproductive.
  Faced with such boldfaced cruelty, it's more important than ever that 
we present our own vision for the budget.
  And what a vision the People's Budget is.
  The People's Budget is the most progressive budget ever presented to 
Congress.
  It invests in people and communities, instead of corporations, 
billionaires, and bombs.
  It forces Wall Street executives to pay their fair share by closing 
the tax loopholes that corporations use to send jobs overseas and give 
CEO millions in untaxed bonuses. Instead, it invests in small business 
owners and Main Street to uplift those working in their communities.
  Our budget invests in our communities by fixing infrastructure, 
including the leaded pipes in places like Flint, and bringing broadband 
to libraries and schools.
  It invests over $1 trillion in the next generation--from universal 
pre-school to debt-free college--so that every child, no matter what 
family they're born into, can get a high quality education.
  And it fully funds my Computer Science for All initiative, which 
would increase access to STEM programs for girls and students of color.
  Mr. Speaker, as a single mother, I know from experience that no 
parent working full-time should have to raise their family in poverty.
  The People's budget lays our plan to invest in and lift women, 
communities of color, and working families out of poverty.
  Our budget takes serious steps to end the scourge of poverty in 
America, including raising the wage to $15 an hour, offering universal 
child care, and expanding paid sick leave to all families.
  Finally, this budget lays out a plan to curb bloated Pentagon 
spending and reinvest in diplomacy and humanitarian aid.
  It would take long overdue action to reign in waste, fraud, and abuse 
at the Pentagon, and give us an audit so we can see where our taxpayer 
dollars are going. And it would prohibit the expansion of US combat 
troops into President Trump's unauthorized and illegal war in Syria.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a budget that we are proud to stand behind. This 
is a bold statement of our principles and our promise to fight for the 
American people.
  This is our Roadmap for Resistance.

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