[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 161 (Friday, October 6, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1339-E1341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





        CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2018

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 4, 2017

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the concurrent resolution 
     (H. Con. Res. 71) establishing the congressional budget for 
     the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting 
     forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 
     through 2027:

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chair, I include in the Record 
letters from: NAACP, National Committee to Preserve Social Security & 
Medicare, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, and the National 
Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO).

         Washington Bureau--National Association for the 
           Advancement of Colored People,
                                  Washington, DC, October 2, 2017.
     Re NAACP strong support for the Congressional Black Caucus 
         alternative budget proposal.

     Members,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative: On behalf of the NAACP, our nation's 
     oldest, largest and most widely-recognized grassroots-based 
     civil rights organization, I strongly urge you to support the 
     alternative budget proposal as put forth by the Congressional 
     Black Caucus (CBC) later this week as you consider the budget 
     resolutions for FY 2018. The CBC Alternative Budget 
     responsibly reduces the deficit and at the same time 
     alleviates harm which has been inflicted by the recent 
     austerity measures in a responsible and fiscally sound 
     manner. Furthermore, it proposes significant investments to 
     accelerate our economic recovery and ensures that our 
     recovery is felt in every community, every state and every 
     Congressional District in America.
       A nation's budget is perhaps the best reflection of the 
     priorities, moral values and the beliefs of its citizens. Our 
     country, for all its assets and riches is facing some crucial 
     problems. No community is free from challenges, including 
     hunger, homeless ness, unemployment, substandard education, 
     crime, a crumbling infrastructure, and home foreclosures. 
     Furthermore, there can be little debate that racial and 
     ethnic minority Americans tend to be disparately affected by 
     these challenges more than any other group.
       The federal budget cannot cure every dilemma, but it can 
     provide the American people with the tools to begin to 
     address many of these ills. The CBC budget alternative 
     preserves crucial social safety nets, including Social 
     Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP and TANF and provides 
     money for job creating programs, health care, and veterans 
     programs to help our returning soldiers as they reintegrate 
     themselves and their families into American life. At the same 
     time, the CBC budget alternative closes tax loopholes and 
     generates new income from those who can most afford to pay, 
     thereby reducing the deficit by $2.72 trillion over the next 
     decade.
       Clearly, the CBC Budget alternative merits your serious 
     consideration and I hope that after a careful review you will 
     agree that it sets our nation on the proper course and 
     establishes our priorities as they should be. Thank you in 
     advance for your attention to the NAACP position. Should you 
     have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to 
     contact me.
           Sincerely,
     Hilary O. Shelton,
       Director, NAACP Washington Bureau & Senior Vice President 
     for Advocacy and Policy.
                                  ____

                                    National Committee to Preserve


                                   Social Security & Medicare,

                                                  October 4, 2017.
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative: On behalf of the millions of members 
     and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social 
     Security and Medicare, I urge you to oppose H. Con. Res. 71, 
     the House Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Resolution and the 
     Republican Study Committee budget. Instead, I ask you to 
     support the Democratic Caucus, Congressional Progressive 
     Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus budgets.


  Oppose H. Con. Res. 71, the House Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Resolution

       The committee-passed budget resolution would slash funding 
     to Medicare and Medicaid, repeal the Affordable Care Act and 
     make it easier for Congress to cut Social Security--all to 
     pay for massive tax cuts for the very wealthy and profitable 
     corporations.
       The House budget calls for fast track procedures designed 
     to ram Social Security benefit cuts through Congress without 
     public scrutiny. This is an undemocratic end run to enact 
     widely unpopular proposals.
       Equally unpopular are proposals in the budget resolution to 
     turn Medicare into a voucher or coupon program, raise the 
     Medicare eligibility age to 67 and make other modifications 
     to the program that would increase beneficiary out-of-pocket 
     costs. These harmful changes would cut Medicare by nearly 
     $500 billion over ten years.
       These vouchers/coupons might not be enough to keep up with 
     health care inflation and could force seniors to pay more for 
     less coverage. Less coverage will mean higher out-of-pocket 
     costs that most seniors cannot afford to pay--particularly 
     when half of them have incomes less than $26,200 a year. 
     Under coupon care, private insurers will design their health 
     plans to attract younger and healthier beneficiaries. This 
     will drive up the costs of traditional Medicare and force 
     seniors into private plans that make it hard for them to 
     choose their own doctors.
       The budget resolution's plan to raise the Medicare 
     eligibility age is a benefit cut. Although this proposal 
     would save money for the federal government, it would 
     increase system-wide health spending by boosting costs for 
     everyone else, including 65 and 66 years olds who would have 
     to buy private insurance, which--unlike Medicare--can be age 
     rated.
       H. Con. Res. 71 assumes savings from redesigning the 
     Medicare benefit by combining the Part A and Part B 
     deductibles and making changes to supplemental insurance 
     (Medigap) policies, changes that would likely increase costs 
     for people with Medigap policies. The measure would also 
     expand income-related premiums under Medicare Parts B and D 
     until 25 percent of beneficiaries are subject to these 
     premiums. A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that this 
     proposal would affect individuals with incomes equivalent to 
     $45,600 for an individual and $91,300 for a couple in 2013.
       The budget resolution ends the commitment Medicaid provides 
     by turning it into block grants subject to per capita caps 
     that will not grow with the needs of the population. You and 
     your colleagues need only look at what is happening in Puerto 
     Rico to see how their block granted Medicaid program has 
     compromised the delivery of health care in an emergency.
       Middle class Americans often rely on Medicaid for long-term 
     services and supports when they exhaust their savings. Nearly 
     two-thirds of all nursing home residents' care is financed in 
     part by Medicaid. In addition, Medicaid provides home and 
     community-based services that allow seniors to stay in their 
     homes. There is no way to cut Medicaid by a trillion dollars 
     without limiting seniors' access to long term care services.


  Support the Democratic Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus and 
                   Congressional Black Caucus Budgets

       In sharp contrast to the committee-passed budget resolution 
     are the alternative budgets to be offered as substitute 
     amendments by the Democratic Caucus, Congressional 
     Progressive Caucus (CPC) and Congressional Black Caucus 
     (CBC). The National Committee supports these budgets because 
     they address the country's economic concerns without asking 
     vulnerable Americans who depend on Social Security, Medicare 
     and Medicaid to contribute significantly more than the 
     wealthiest one percent.
       The Democratic Caucus budget includes provisions requiring 
     drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs used by those 
     dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and builds on the 
     improved Medicare efficiencies included in the Affordable 
     Care Act (ACA). Similarly, the Progressive Caucus budget 
     would allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices 
     and would eliminate a loophole some use to avoid paying their 
     share of Medicare payroll taxes. The Democratic, Progressive 
     and Black Caucuses' budgets continue the investment made in 
     the ACA to expand Medicaid in the states, helping people with 
     modest incomes purchase health insurance.
       The National Committee commends the Progressive Caucus for 
     proposing to significantly strengthen Social Security's 
     financial condition by raising the payroll tax cap on wages. 
     We also support the CBC and CPC plan that helps protect 
     seniors against the disproportionate amount they spend on 
     health care by using a more accurate Consumer Price Index to 
     set Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLA). In 
     addition, we endorse the CPC proposal to offer Social 
     Security credits to caregivers of children and elderly family 
     members.

[[Page E1340]]

  



              Oppose the Republican Study Committee Budget

       Conversely, we oppose the Republican Study Committee (RSC) 
     budget's proposal to adopt the ``chained'' CPI to calculate 
     COLAs. The chained CPI would cut projected benefits for the 
     oldest and most vulnerable Americans who would be least able 
     to afford it. We also oppose plans in the RSC substitute to 
     increase the Medicare eligibility age and the Social Security 
     full retirement age to 69. Contrary to popular belief, not 
     everyone is living longer or is able to work into their 70s. 
     For example, a 2015 study by the National Academy of Sciences 
     found that for men born in 1960, those in the top income 
     quintile could expect to live 12.7 years longer than men in 
     the bottom income quintile. But even for Americans who can 
     work longer, raising the Medicare eligibility age and Social 
     Security retirement age are benefit cuts.
       Like H. Con. Res. 71, the RSC budget would repeal the ACA 
     and increase beneficiary out-of-pocket costs by privatizing 
     Medicare, restructuring the program and expanding income-
     related premiums.
       With so many major challenges facing our country, why do 
     the authors of the House budget resolution and the RSC budget 
     insist on fixing what is not broken? The answer is simple. 
     They need to cut working and middle-class programs to pay for 
     tax cuts for the wealthy and profitable corporations.
       That's why we urge all Representatives to oppose these 
     ``Robin Hood-in-Reverse'' budgets and instead protect the 
     retirement and health security commitments made to 
     generations of Americans by supporting the Democratic Caucus, 
     CPC and CBC budget alternatives.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Max Richtman,
     President and CEO.
                                  ____

                                                 NETWORK Lobby for


                                      Catholic Social Justice,

                                                   Washington, DC.

    Statement of Support for the Congressional Black Caucus FY2018 
                           Alternative Budget

       NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice strongly supports 
     the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) FY 2018 Alternative 
     Budget. This faithful budget prioritizes the needs of our 
     country's most vulnerable, protects vital safety net programs 
     and closes tax loopholes for the wealthy who intentionally 
     avoid ``paying unto Caesar what is Caesar's.'' (Matthew 
     22:21)
       The CBC Budget Alternative reflects its commitment to 
     investing in programs and policies that will support working 
     Americans and help our nation prosper. The CBC budget rightly 
     begins with revenue, ensuring support for programs necessary 
     for the long-term growth and development of our nation. 
     NETWORK continuously states that ALL, especially the 
     wealthiest and corporations must provide their fair share of 
     support for our nation. ``. . . from the one to whom much has 
     been entrusted, even more will be demanded.'' (Luke 12:48)
       Much of our national infrastructure is outdated and 
     dilapidated. Roads are crumbling; hundreds of bridges have 
     been designated as unsafe. This budget invests in these and 
     other public structures. It also invests in housing for all 
     levels of low-wage workers through investments in programs 
     such as Public Housing Recapitalization and the national 
     Housing Trust Fund. These would be decimated by the cuts 
     proposed in the Republican Budget. NETWORK sees housing as a 
     priority for mending the gaps in our society. Pope Francis, 
     when addressing Congress in September, 2015 said: ``We can 
     find no social or moral justification, no justification, no 
     justification whatsoever, for lack of housing.''
       Despite a lack of support from the public, Republicans in 
     Congress continue their attacks on the Affordable Care Act. 
     The Congressional Black Caucus's move to protect and 
     strengthen the Affordable Care Act and ensure universal 
     health care for all is in line with NETWORK's advocacy for 
     quality, affordable, accessible healthcare. We know it is 
     especially crucial to eliminate our nation's troubling racial 
     and economic disparities in healthcare, which is a problem 
     being addressed by the CBC Budget's healthcare proposals.
       The Congressional Black Caucus budget protects social 
     safety net programs, which NETWORK knows are essential to 
     supporting families and communities. For both the CBC and 
     NETWORK, ensuring the health of programs such as nutrition 
     assistance, school meals, affordable child care, and more are 
     critical. We strongly oppose putting the reduction or 
     eliminations of safety net programs, SNAP in particular, on 
     the chopping block as the Republican budget does.
       One expense pushing both young adults and elders into 
     poverty is the costs of college and repayment of college 
     loans. Education is so necessary for young people, and for 
     all who are retraining to meet the demands of our changing 
     workforce. We strongly support the CBC budget's investment in 
     education for the next generation, a stark contrast to the 
     Republican budget which guts the Pell Grant program and 
     eliminates many job-training programs. Changes to Pell Grants 
     and job-training programs make it difficult for people to 
     develop the skills to contribute to society to their full 
     potential.
       The tax credits most effective in helping low- and middle-
     wage households move out of poverty are the refundable Earned 
     Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credits (CTC). 
     Working families deserve to live in dignity! These tax 
     credits are minimal compared to the tax benefits for the 
     wealthiest households and corporations which would balloon in 
     the Republican budget. It is unacceptable to provide further 
     gains to those who are already receiving the greatest 
     ``welfare benefits'' through existing tax breaks.
       The CBC budget proposes beneficial improvements to 
     retirement security. Unfortunately, Republican leaders do not 
     agree and one of the mandatory programs at risk in the 
     Republican budget is Social Security. Social Security is a 
     program with obvious and just means of being strengthened. 
     Lifting the ceiling on income subject to the employment tax 
     by a few thousand dollars would keep Social Security viable 
     indefinitely. Using the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly 
     (CPI-E) would also create a more just cost-of-living for 
     seniors, as it takes into account the types of expenses the 
     elderly face.
       The Congressional Black Caucus Budget is a morally and 
     fiscally responsible alternative to the Republican Budget. 
     The CBC budget provides necessary expenditures and revenues, 
     while reducing the deficit by approximately $2.5 trillion 
     over 10 years. NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Teaching is 
     proud to support it.
                                  ____

                                    National Association For Equal


                              Opportunity in Higher Education,

                                  Washington, DC, October 4, 2017.
     Re Congressional Black Caucus Alternative Budget for Fiscal 
         Year 2018.

       Dear Representative: I am writing as the CEO of the 
     National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher 
     Education (NAFEO), the only 501(c)(3), tax exempt membership 
     association representing the nation's Historically Black 
     Universities (HBCUs) and emerging Predominantly Black 
     Institutions (PBIs) and the 700,000 student enrollees, 72,000 
     faculty, and roughly 7 million alumni associated with these 
     institutions. Today, NAFEO represents 106 public and private 
     HBCUs and 50 PBIs in 35 states, the District of Columbia and 
     U.S. Virgin Islands. I am writing in support of the 
     Congressional Black Caucus Alternative Budget for Fiscal Year 
     2018 (``CBC Budget''). The CBC Budget calls for fiscally 
     sound and morally conscientious revenue and savings, new 
     investments, and net deficit reduction. We urge you to 
     support the CBC Budget which recommends a fair tax code that 
     will allow Congress to reinvest in communities, such as 
     infrastructure and school modernization, energy 
     infrastructure and broadband access, adult and youth job 
     programs, neighborhood revitalization, and a package that 
     protects the safety net and helps to eradicate poverty. Also, 
     the CBC Budget includes aid for those areas ravaged by the 
     recent Hurricanes. NAFEO supports the entire budget, and we 
     highlight certain sections below:


                       ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION

       NAFEO supports the CBC Budget recommendations to increase 
     access to high quality education and make college more 
     affordable. NAFEO, the only membership association of its 
     kind, was founded by the presidents and chancellors of HBCUs 
     and PBIs to represent the issues and interests of these 
     richly diverse public, private and land-grant, two- and four-
     year, graduate and professional, historically and 
     predominantly black colleges and universities. The 
     organization provides an international voice for the nation's 
     HBCUs and other equal educational opportunity institutions; 
     advocates for policies, programs and practices to preserve 
     and enhance HBCUs; and increases the active participation of 
     underrepresented minorities in higher education and in the 
     formulation and implementation of policies and programs in 
     American higher education. The CBC Budget would fully fund 
     the Every Student Succeeds Act, and the 2015 reauthorization 
     of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and invest in 
     increasing access to higher education and HBCUs. It would 
     further provide affordable pathways for students, by 
     providing grants, reducing interest rates, and increasing 
     Pell Grant awards.


                  INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNIVERSITIES

       NAFEO supports the CBC Budget recommendations to ensure 
     targeted investments for our most vulnerable communities. 
     NAFEO endorses the CBC Budget recommendation to rebuild our 
     nation's infrastructure and reinvest in our communities. 
     NAFEO supports a $1 trillion infrastructure rebuilding 
     proposal, especially one that places HBCUs at its epicenter, 
     because of their unique strategic locations, mostly in the 
     areas in which the roads, bridges, waterways, airports and 
     other infrastructure serve as the gateways to American 
     commerce, and because HBCUs are graduating disproportionate 
     percentages of the growing populations in America who are 
     receiving degrees in the sciences, technology, engineering, 
     mathematics, architecture, urban and rural planning, and 
     other critical education and training required to improve our 
     infrastructure. HBCUs also possess faculty, staff, students, 
     goods, services, and promising practices, position them well 
     to drive the new infrastructure initiative, the revitalizing 
     of urban and rural America, the economic stimulus and STEAM 
     agendas. Indeed, some HBCUs are serving as 
     ``Communiversities''--the epicenters for the revitalization 
     of urban

[[Page E1341]]

     and rural America for shoring up infrastructures; energizing 
     communities; seeding intellectual, scientific, technological, 
     and economic capital; and ensuring healthy, sustainable, 
     communities.


                           HURRICANE SUPPORT

       NAFEO supports the CBC Budget recommendation to provide a 
     $200 billion down payment to aid victims of recent 
     hurricanes. As noted above, NAFEO represents 106 HBCUs 
     including the University of the Virgin Islands (``UVI''). The 
     UVI President, Dr. David Hall, has shared that the University 
     has endured tremendous challenges associated with the recent 
     hurricanes, and is in dire need of operating funds. Dr. Hall 
     writes ``Due to the problems the Territory is facing as a 
     result of the two [now three] hurricanes, and their financial 
     impact, the monthly allotments to the University ha[ve] not 
     been received. We receive approximately $2.6 million each 
     month from the local government and without those funds we 
     will cease to operate. We are resuming classes on October 9th 
     and the University will need to pay its employees and address 
     other critical needs. Federal funding specifically earmarked 
     to the University to operate would be extremely helpful and 
     valuable.''
       Representative, we need your leadership to ensure that our 
     nation's budget reflects our priorities and especially the 
     needs of our students. The CBC Budget focuses on meeting the 
     needs of our nation. We look forward to working with members 
     of Congress to advance a budget that reflective of what we 
     need and deserve.
           Sincerely,
                                                Lezli Baskerville,
     President & CEO.

                          ____________________