Congresswoman Darlene Hooley (OR-5) Statement on the President's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget

Press Release

Congresswoman Darlene Hooley (OR-5) Statement on the President's Fiscal Year 2008 Budget

Congresswoman Darlene Hooley (OR-5), a member of the House Budget Committee, today responded to the release of President Bush's budget for fiscal year 2008.

"Budgets reflect priorities, and unfortunately this year's proposed budget from the President is a roadmap that continues to take the country down the wrong path.

"Sending billions of new taxpayer dollars to escalate the war in Iraq is not what the American people called for last November. I fully support providing our troops with the resources they need in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Congress cannot continue giving the Administration a blank check on Iraq.

"While today's budget proposes another $245 billion in war spending, the President fails to keep the nation's promises to our soldiers and veterans who have sacrificed so much for our nation. More and more military servicemen and women will return from Iraq and Afghanistan with health care needs, yet the President's budget once again shortchanges the Department of Veterans Affairs. Without sufficient funding, the VA health care system will find it more difficult to provide the quality care that Oregon's 350,000 veterans and troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan need. Simply put, veterans care is a cost of war.

"There's no question that if enacted the president's proposed Medicare cuts would reduce patient access to care as fewer physicians and health professionals could continue to afford to locate in small cities and rural towns. We are already facing problems among the 532,000 Oregon Medicare beneficiaries who are finding fewer doctors available to treat them. Cutting Medicare by $300 billion, reducing physician Medicare reimbursement by 8 percent, and adding billions in new premiums would threaten Medicare patients' access to the care they need to lead healthy, independent lives. And these funding reductions come at a time when an explosion of baby boomers are becoming Medicare eligible, leaving the plan with insufficient resources to meet even current needs.

"The President's budget is limited to a short-term fix to the alternative minimum tax, a burden that disproportionately impacts Oregonians and many middle class families across the nation. Middle class taxpayers need a long term AMT fix first and foremost.

"The Administration is once again proposing phasing out the County Timber Payments program over the next several years. This program is critical to the state of Oregon. The federal government has a responsibility to these counties and anything other than full funding is unacceptable. Abandoning these communities is not an option and we need the President to start realizing that.

"While I was pleased to hear the President mention climate change for the first time in last month's State of the Union address, notably absent from his budget were proposals that would curb emissions of carbon dioxide. Since 1990, carbon emissions have gone up 31 percent in Oregon. Budgets reflect priorities, and obviously addressing global climate change is not a genuine priority for the Bush Administration."

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