[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4048]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, this week marks the latest chapter in 
the drama of Republican control of Congress. This is their first 
opportunity with complete control of both Chambers to bring into focus 
what they would do governing, and the results aren't pretty.
  We are discussing this week a budget that has been labeled by press 
accounts that actually give them the benefit of the doubt as being 
phony or a disaster. It has been condemned by many conservative 
commentators as a sham.
  The purported $5.5 trillion in budget savings over the next 10 years 
provides no good explanation about how it can actually be achieved. 
There is a trillion dollars in unspecified reductions ``other mandatory 
programs.'' They would abolish the Affordable Care Act, but somehow 
keep all of the revenues that finance it.
  There are a few areas of clarity which are hardly comforting. The 
ratcheting down support for our low-income college students through 
Pell grants is hardly a step forward and will be widely condemned the 
more clearly people understand it.
  We are back to the Medicare voucher, which may have a different name 
but is still toxic. A measure of their understanding of its 
unpopularity is their refusal to put it into effect for seniors now. 
Instead they would have people approaching retirement age in their mid-
fifties who will be able to enjoy the benefits and uncertainty of a 
vouchered Medicare program.
  It is silent on the transportation crisis that is already upon us. 
The latest transportation extension expires May 31. Resources are not 
going to be available to get us through this fiscal year, let alone the 
next fiscal year that they would budget for. And if the budget that 
they have foreseen would somehow be enacted as written, the next fiscal 
year would see massive cuts for every single State across the country 
for transportation.
  It continues to chip away at the ability of the Federal Government to 
hire and maintain the skilled workforce Americans depend upon. One of 
the most bizarre examples is their continued attack on the ability of 
the IRS, the Internal Revenue Service, to perform the functions 
necessary to finance our government.
  What business cripples its accounts receivable department? And the 
proof of this approach is available to any American who tries to call 
the IRS to get information. It is almost impossible to get through now, 
let alone with the budget cuts that are anticipated. You can ask any 
CPA in your district about the devastating effects of crippling the IRS 
on not just the average citizen, but even on people who can hire the 
best legal and accounting services available.
  While the IRS may be an attractive target for their assault on 
government, the attack is not limited to the Internal Revenue or the 
EPA. This budget will have crippling effects on the American way of 
life all across the country. This budgetary approach that is already 
baked in produces fewer people to be able to deal with the services for 
the exploding number of retired people seeking help from the Social 
Security Administration. It shortchanges the maintenance of our 
national parks. It underfunds medical research that can make a huge 
difference for American families.
  Mr. Speaker, there are things that could be done. I introduced 
legislation this week, the REIN-IN Act, which would cut $100 billion of 
unnecessary spending on nuclear weapons over the next 10 years. These 
savings could be used to shore up the Department of Defense without 
resorting to the budget gimmicks that they are using.
  That is the bitter reality of their budget approach. It is not their 
theatrics or the creative terminology. Republicans are avoiding the 
hard questions and reasonable solutions. It is simply an assault on 
providing Americans with the services they want, need, and deserve. The 
more people understand this, the sooner we are likely to get the 
changes we need in the political process to get us back on course.
  This budget may be a sham and a fraud, but it contains dangerous 
elements that will affect every family in America. We can and should do 
better.

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