[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12093]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             THE MIDDLE CLASS SQUEEZE ON HISPANIC FAMILIES

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                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 14, 2004

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, Hispanic families in America are being left 
out of the American Dream, thanks to the Bush administration's failure 
to create jobs and fund the programs essential to health and education. 
Thanks to the Bush tax cuts that favor the rich and the privileged, 
middle-class families in America are struggling to get by.
  Over 1.4 million Hispanic workers are still looking for a job. Over 
$1 trillion will be spent over the next 10 years on additional tax cuts 
for the rich, instead of creating jobs here at home. The unemployment 
rate for Hispanics is now 25 percent higher than when President Bush 
took office. This money should be used to create jobs for hardworking 
and dedicated individuals, instead of being used to give a break to the 
wealthy.
  If things do not change, not only will there be no jobs for our 
students when they enter the real world, but they will graduate 
unprepared for today's job market. Over 27 percent of Hispanic students 
drop out of high school, yet the President's budget will eliminate 
funding for dropout prevention programs. The Bush budget will 
essentially freeze funding for bilingual education, even though the 
number of students with limited English proficiency is growing rapidly. 
These children need English skills to help them achieve the American 
Dream and we cannot neglect to teach them this basic tool.
  The squeeze on Hispanic families does not stop there. The Bush budget 
cuts funding for the Office of Minority Health by 15 percent and 
neglects to make health care affordable for the over 12 million 
Hispanic Americans without health insurance. In the richest nation in 
the world, every American should be able to have access to health care.
  We must not leave our families behind. We need a budget that will 
make sure that average Americans have jobs, an education and health 
care. We do not want one that rewards the rich and the privileged.

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