Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Bush's New Budget: The Turd In The GOP Punch Bowl...
Don't take it from me, listen to some of your elected Republican officials...
From ThinkProgress:
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN): While fiscal discipline must be our priority, there are some places where the president’s budget either cuts too deeply or fails to recognize the positive impact of a program, such as our agriculture program, Pell grants, Medicaid and Medicare and the Community Development Block Grants program.Wait, there's more! From DailyKos:
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH): The Congress doesn’t have to stick to these [White House] priorities. … There are some programs in there I have heartburn about.
Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO): Overall, we’re concerned that some of these cuts are really beginning to bite. … [The White House budget office] sits in some isolated cocoon and comes forward with proposals that we don’t think make any sense.
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA): It is scandalous to provide insufficient funding for our nation’s two greatest capital investments, health and education.
Sen. David Vitter (R-LA): These budget numbers are extremely disappointing in a number of ways.
Moderate Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, expressed surprise and dismay at the nearly $50 billion in cuts over five years proposed from Medicare and Medicaid, including $12.2 billion in Medicaid savings that the White House is seeking by regulation rather than legislation.And one more for good measure...
"I have long fought to protect access to Medicare and Medicaid, and as the budget process moves forward, I will continue to fight against any cuts that would impact those in greatest need," Snowe said.
Senate Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., meanwhile, criticized the budget for "unfairly" targeting farmers for savings."Will the GOP-controlled Congress finally step up and serve their constituents rather than their masters in the White House?
We will continue to work for deficit reduction that will not burden farmers, particularly after the high fuel costs and extreme weather of the 2005 crop year," Chambliss said.
Stay tuned...
UPDATE: Sen. David Vitter's full official statement strikes directly at the heart of President Bush's total lack of commitment to rebuilding the Gulf Coast post-Katrina.
“These budget numbers are extremely disappointing in a number of ways. The worst is the Corps of Engineers’ numbers – cut 11 percent from last year and Corps’ construction cut 34 percent! While I was able to secure almost $2 billion to fund all flood and hurricane Corps projects in metropolitan New Orleans through emergency supplementals, we continue to have unmet needs. These sorts of cuts in the past are what led to cutting corners. And that led to catastrophic flooding in New Orleans. The Administration has to remember that most of that flooding was a man-made, not natural, disaster.”
|
