Pallone Statement On President's 2008 Budget

Statement

PALLONE STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT'S 2008 BUDGET

U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, issued the following statement today on President Bush's Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget.

"What a difference two weeks makes at the White House. Today, President Bush sent a budget to Congress that completely contradicts statements he made on health care two weeks ago during his State of the Union Address. The president stated 'when it comes to health care, government has an obligation to care for the elderly, the disabled and poor children.'

"It turns out this was nothing but empty rhetoric as the president proposed a budget today that includes serious cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and does not provide enough money to maintain current services to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

"The president's budget makes it impossible for our government to meet the health care needs of the elderly, the disabled and the children of low-income parents who are now enrolled in SCHIP. By cutting $252 billion from Medicare over the next decade, $28 billion from Medicaid, and providing less than half of what is needed for SCHIP, the president is breaking our government's obligation to provide health care to these vulnerable populations.

"As Congress prepares to reauthorize SCHIP, we should be exploring ways to expand the program to millions of eligible children, not dropping children who are already receiving essential health care services. The president's budget, which only proposes $5 billion more for SCHIP over five years and falls far short of what is needed just to maintain current programs, would force us to make tough choices. The budget also neglects to address outreach efforts that could help us increase enrollment among children who are already eligible.

"The president's SCHIP proposal would be a disaster for New Jersey, which provides health care assistance to children up to 350 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Under the president's proposal, payments would now be reduced to states that provide eligibility to children over the 200 percent level, which would force New Jersey to either lose out on federal funds or drop children who are now eligible. This is simply unacceptable, and should be rejected by Congress.

"President Bush also refuses to once again fund beach replenishment projects critical to the Jersey Shore. This shortsighted assault has been rejected by Congress in the past, and I hope to secure funding for projects in Monmouth County. However, the president's policy makes it more difficult every year to secure the necessary funds to proceed with these projects."

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