Hinchey Statement On President Bush's Budget Proposal For Fiscal Year 2006

Hinchey Statement On President Bush's Budget Proposal For Fiscal Year 2006
February 7, 2005

Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today released the following statement regarding President Bush's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2006.

"President Bush's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2006 is a misleading plan that is fiscally and morally irresponsible and runs contrary to the priorities and values of New York residents. Among other items, the president's budget cuts spending for education, police and firefighters, environmental protection, health care, and will pass most of those costs on to state and local taxpayers. In addition, the budget imposes drastic fee increases on veterans' health care services. Millions of New Yorkers rely on these critical programs, which is why I will vehemently oppose any cuts to them. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which allocates the money for the federal budget, I will help lead the fight in Congress to fully fund these programs.

"President Bush claims we cannot afford to fund these important initiatives because the United States is facing an estimated $427 billion deficit. However, what President Bush fails to tell the American people is that it was his reckless tax cuts for the richest of Americans, the $200 billion cost of the war in Iraq, and an overall display of fiscal irresponsibility that has caused this record-setting deficit. By rolling back the tax cuts that benefit the top 1 percent of Americans, but still keeping the tax cuts for working and middle class individuals and families, we would have enough money to fully fund these programs.

"What's equally as troubling as the president's proposed cuts is the fact that he omits the cost of the war in Iraq and the cost of privatizing Social Security, which were two focal points of his State of the Union address, as well as the cost to make his fiscally irresponsible tax cuts permanent. President Bush has apparently taken an accounting course given by executives at Enron and Tyco to come up with his budget figures. This is a blatant attempt to hide known or anticipated expenditures such as the war in Iraq from the American people. With those hidden costs included, the United States would end up with $6.1 trillion in deficit spending over the next decade. These costs, which will further increase the federal debt, is the latest proof that we need to get out of Iraq as soon as possible and that we need to stop the president's Social Security privatization and tax cut plans.

"President Bush has talked a big game about helping all Americans achieve a better standard of living, but after reviewing his budget proposal, it is clear that all of that rhetoric is free of substance. The president has shown his true colors once again by making it a priority to help the wealthiest Americans get wealthier and more powerful at the expense of everyone else."

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ny22_hinchey/morenews/020705budget.html