[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1595]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  MISSED OPPORTUNITIES IN BUSH BUDGET

  (Mr. BRALEY of Iowa asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, this week the President unveiled his 
final budget proposal, and like previous budgets, it fails to properly 
address the needs and concerns that are central to the everyday lives 
of our constituents.
  Perhaps most troubling is the fact that the Bush budget continues the 
President's legacy of fiscal irresponsibility and leaves behind a $407 
billion deficit. The five largest deficits in American history have all 
occurred on the President's watch. When President Bush took office, the 
debt stood at $5.7 trillion, and it is projected to stand at $9.7 
trillion by the time President Bush leaves office. This fiscal record 
ties the hands of the next generation, which faces growing obligations 
with increasingly limited resources.
  The Bush budget also hurts Americans struggling to make ends meet by 
cutting Medicare and Medicaid, and the low income home energy 
assistance program. This budget also hurts our long-term efforts to 
prepare Americans for better jobs in the global marketplace by slashing 
important education and literacy programs.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people do not want more of the same. This 
Democratic Congress will propose a budget alternative that takes 
America in a new direction.

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