[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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