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Mr. UDALL. Mr. President, last week the Senate Budget Committee gave
a green light to the Republican budget. A caution light, a yellow
light, was more in order. It calls for $4.7 trillion in nondefense
spending cuts over the next 10 years and no increases in revenue. Where
would those cuts come from? They would be piled on the backs of the
middle class, the elderly, and children.
They would cut the earned-income tax credit, slash Medicare and
Medicaid, child care, Head Start, education, public safety, and law
enforcement.
And--just for good measure--the Republican budget rolls back reforms
on Wall Street--and on and on. All this and more is to pay for lower
taxes for millionaires and billionaires.
When I first came to the Senate, our economy was in a free fall. We
were losing 20,000 jobs a day, every day. Thousands of jobs were gone.
Our financial system was crashing. Deficits were at historic highs.
That was 6 years ago. It has been a long road back. We asked the
wealthy to pay their fair share. We passed long-needed reforms to Wall
Street. We have seen 12 million more private sector jobs, the deficit
cut in half, and Wall Street at historic highs. Profits are up;
unemployment and deficits are down.
That is the story, but it isn't over. We are not done yet. Not
everyone has found solid ground.
My State still faces great challenges. Many New Mexicans are still
struggling, still pulling out of the worst recession in 75 years. How
do we go forward? How do we build on the progress we have made?
Those are the questions the voters elected us to solve. The short
answer is we have to work together. We have to get past the shutdowns
and the showdowns. Politics is the art of standing your ground but also
finding common ground.
That is why the Republican budget is so troubling. It doesn't start a
conversation. It doesn't reach across the aisle.
This budget is bad for working families, bad for the middle class,
bad for our economy. It makes a U-turn right back to failed policies of
the past. This budget says no to the middle class, no to the most
vulnerable, and no to the critical investments we know we need--but yes
to lower taxes for hedge funds. It is Robin Hood in reverse, and it
will hurt so many people who have suffered so much for so long.
This is the wrong way to go at the worst possible time, because--make
no mistake about it--this budget is one big yes for those at the top
and one big no for everybody else.
In my State, one in three children is in poverty. For Native American
children, it is even higher. It is 44 percent. One in five children
goes to bed hungry. Their parents can't find adequate child care. They
can't get quality medical care when they need it. They lack access to
safe housing and clean water.
This just isn't the case in New Mexico. We see it across the Nation.
Children and families are falling behind. This has to change. The
future--not only for our children but for our economy--depends on
changing it. We need to be doing more, but the Republican budget does
less.
It would cut programs for low-income children, seniors, and families
by up to $660 billion over 10 years, including SNAP and child nutrition
programs.
Healthy kids are an investment in our future economy. We need renewed
commitment--not draconian cuts--to the programs that help children
reach their full potential. That means infant and toddler care,
preschool, and home-visiting programs. We know that they work and they
can help in a big way.
A recent White House report tells the story. These programs make a
difference, get results and save money--more than $8 for every $1
invested.
That is why I introduced the Saving Our Next Generation Act, or SONG
Act. We should fully pay for what works. That is why I am a cosponsor
of the PRE-K Act to expand high-quality, early learning programs for
children from birth to age 5.
Children should be our priority. They should not take a back seat to
billionaires and neither should the elderly, who depend on Medicare,
not a voucher program.
The Republican budget cuts $2.5 trillion from health care for low-
and moderate-income people.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act, block-granting Medicaid--seniors
would pay more for prescription drugs and more for preventive services.
Crucial support for nursing care and home health care would be slashed.
We have a lot to do to get America's economy back on track. The
Republican budget--at every turn--fails to do it. A budget isn't just
numbers. It is about choices, and it is about priorities.
That means investing in infrastructure. We have to upgrade our roads
and manage our water resources. Federal dollars are almost half of New
Mexico's total transportation budget and 70 percent of funding for our
highways and bridges.
It means making sure we have an educated workforce--not cutting Pell
grants by 30 percent.
It means full funding for the PILT program--to help communities pay
for law enforcement, schools, and other services folks depend on.
It means making sure our national labs and our military bases have
the resources they need.
All of this makes a difference for the people of my State. It makes a
difference for hardworking families. It makes a difference for the
future of our country.
These should be our priorities, including doing more for small
businesses. They are the engine of our economy. They create most new
jobs. They need a fair tax policy--because they pay their fair share--
and don't have an army of lawyers working to find tax loopholes.
We cannot ask Main Street to keep sacrificing while we fail to close
a single tax loophole on Wall Street.
We need a tax system that supports the middle class--not corporations
sending jobs overseas. Our economy is recovering, but the benefit needs
to go to all Americans, not just those at the top.
These are the choices we should be making. These are the choices the
Republican budget fails to make.
We need to invest in the programs that help all Americans get ahead--
and strengthen our economy--so that every hardworking American has the
opportunity to build a better future.
I hope we can work together and find common ground with a budget that
makes sense, with a fair tax policy, and with smart investments. We
need to look to the future--and move forward.
Now is not the time to return to the failed policies of the past.
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