Rep. John Lewis Votes to Pass Budget, Invest in Healthcare, Education and Energy Security

Press Release

Rep. John Lewis Votes to Pass Budget, Invest in Healthcare, Education and Energy Security

Today, Rep. John Lewis voted for passage of H.Con.Res. 85, the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 233 to 196, down party lines. This budget, assembled by House Leaders after much debate, reflects President Obama's priorities for returning our economy to prosperity by investing in healthcare, education and energy security.

Following passage of H.Con.Res. 85, Rep. John Lewis remarked, "This budget is more than numbers on a page; this budget will improve lives."

This budget is projected to reduce the federal deficit by more than half over the next four years, while offering middle class families $1.5 trillion in tax relief. For the first time, this budget also takes makes the plain what the expenses of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan really are. The escalating costs of those wars were omitted from federal budgets by President Bush, to obscure the financial impact of those conflicts.

"When President Clinton left office," said Rep. Lewis, "we had a surplus of $5 trillion. But President Bush left office left us with the highest debt in American history. Hopefully this budget will help undo some of that damage and put us back on the path towards prosperity."

The alternative budget proposed by House Republicans would have cut over $1.6 trillion federal dollars for Georgia by repealing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Pell grants, Child Care and Development Block grants as well as Transportation funding and elderly nutrition services are just a few of the areas that would have faced significant reductions. The funding cuts in the House Republican's proposal would have also stopped the creation of over 100,000 new jobs.

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