    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [March 31, 2007]
    [Pages 362-364]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    March 31, 2007

        Good morning. In recent days, the House and Senate each passed
    emergency war spending bills that undercut our troops in the field. Each
    of the Democrats' bills would substitute the judgment of politicians in
    Washington for that of our generals on the ground. Each bill would
    impose restrictive conditions on our military commanders. Each bill
    would also set an arbitrary deadline for surrender and withdrawal in
    Iraq, and I believe that would have disastrous consequences for our
    safety here at home.
        The Democrats loaded up their bills with billions of dollars in
    domestic spending completely unrelated to the war, including $3.5
    million for visitors to tour the Capitol, $6.4 million for the House of
    Representatives salaries and expenses account, and $74 million for
    secure peanut storage. I like peanuts as much as the next guy, but I
    believe the security of our troops should come before the security of
    our peanut crop. For all these reasons, that is why I made it clear to
    the Democrats in Congress: I will veto the bill.
        Democrats in the House and the Senate also recently passed their
    annual budget resolutions. Their budgets would raise your taxes and
    raise Government spending in Washington. And their budgets fail to
    address the most serious challenge to our Nation's fiscal health: the
    unsustainable growth in entitlement programs like Social Security and
    Medicare.
        Overall, the Democrats would raise taxes by a total of nearly $400
    billion over the next 5 years. To put this in perspective, this would be
    the largest tax increase in our Nation's history, even larger than the

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    tax increase the Democrats passed the last time they controlled
    Congress.
        Let me explain what it will mean for your annual tax bill if the
    Democrats get their way. If you have children, the Democrats would raise
    your taxes by $500 for each child. If you're a family of four making
    $60,000 a year, the Democrats would raise your taxes by more than
    $1,800. If you're a single mother with two children working to make ends
    meet, the Democrats would raise your taxes by more than $1,000. If you
    are a small-business owner working to meet a payroll, the Democrats
    would raise your taxes by almost $4,000. And more than five million low-
    income Americans who currently pay no income taxes because of our tax
    relief would once again have to pay. Whether you have a family, work for
    a living, own a business, or are simply struggling to get by on a low
    income, the Democrats want to raise your taxes.
        The Democrats plan to spend all those extra tax dollars. In the
    Senate, Democrats have passed a budget that would spend $145 billion
    more than I have requested over the next 5 years. In the House,
    Democrats have passed a budget that would spend even more, $213 billion
    above my request.
        With their budgets, the Democrats have revealed their true
    intentions. During the last campaign, Democrats said that under their
    pay-as-you-go approach, they would pay for their new spending. Now we
    see what they meant by that. The Democrats have chosen a tax-as-you-go
    approach that requires you to cut your spending to pay higher taxes. And
    Democrats will use these higher taxes to spend more of your money on
    their special interest projects.
        Our Nation cannot afford such reckless taxing and spending. Under my
    administration, we have kept your taxes low and restrained Government
    spending in Washington. Now America's economy is leading the world, with
    an economic expansion that has produced 42 months of uninterrupted job
    growth and created more than 7.5 million new jobs. The fastest way to
    stop this growth in its tracks would be to allow the Democrats in
    Congress to impose higher taxes on you so they can spend more of your
    money.
        I believe there's a better way to balance our Federal budget. Last
    month, I sent Congress a plan that would eliminate the Federal deficit
    in 5 years, without raising your taxes. In the months ahead, I will work
    with Republicans and responsible Democrats in Congress to pass a
    disciplined budget and to stop the Democratic leadership from taking our
    Nation back to tax-and-spend policies of the past. By setting clear
    spending priorities and keeping taxes low, we can keep our economy
    growing, support our troops in the war on terror, and ensure our
    children and grandchildren inherit a more prosperous and hopeful
    America.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 9:15 a.m. on March 30 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on March 31. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    March 30, but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address.

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