Olver Statement on President's Budget

OLVER STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT'S BUDGET

WASHINGTON, D.C. ‚ Today, Congressman John W. Olver (D-1st District) released the following statement on the president's FY207 budget request:

"The president vows to invest more money in education in his State of the Union address, but then turns around and cuts education by $2 billion in his budget delivered to Congress just a few days later. It's mind-boggling. And his cuts affect the full range of effective education programs ‚ from early childhood learning to college assistance and adult vocational programs.

"Quality, affordable health care for those who need it most takes a back seat in this budget proposal. Huge cuts in Medicare come in the wake of problems with the new Medicare prescription drug program. At the same time, the budget protects special interests, leaving intact the Medicare slush fund for HMOs. In addition, the budget slashes Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

"A misguided proposal to expand Health Savings Accounts ‚ which are simply tax shelters for the healthy and wealthy ‚ will give employers an enormous incentive to drop or reduce health benefits for their workers.

"The budget once again severely underfunds NIH, cuts health professions training and eliminates several programs geared toward preventive medicine and health care for children and babies.

"This budget is replete with bad choices for Americans living in or near poverty ‚ like terminating the Community Services Block Grant, which is geared to providing economic self-sufficiency for struggling families. And even though it does little-to-nothing for Americans most in need, it still manages to pile hundreds of billions of dollars of additional debt onto the backs of our children. This is no way to shore up our future."

http://www.house.gov/olver/news/pr060206a.html