Olver Statement on President's Budget
OLVER STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT'S BUDGET
Today, Congressman John W. Olver (D-1st District), Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations subcommittee, released the following statement on the President's FY08 budget request:
Transportation
"For the fourth year in a row, the President has requested woefully insufficient funding for our nation's intercity passenger rail system. The nearly $400 million, or 30% cut, to Amtrak's budget will result in less rail service for communities across the country. As our nation's highways and airways become increasingly congested, Amtrak must continue to be an option for the traveling public."
Housing & Urban Development
Section 8 Housing Vouchers: "The president's budget fails to fund all current Section 8 housing vouchers, which provide safe, affordable housing for our most vulnerable citizens. Under the president¹s request, low-income families would lose their rental assistance and may end up homeless. I made it a top priority to keep people in their homes and will continue to do so in the FY08 appropriations process."
CDBG:
"A 19% national cut in CDBG monies would deal a large blow to community development in both rural and urban areas. That kind of cut would significantly set back infrastructure development and the commercial investment that CDBG-funded projects leverage. It is a mistake to cut this valuable tool of economic development from our cities and towns."
Other HUD Cuts:
"The HUD program eliminations in this budget are deplorable: Brownfields Redevelopment, Rural Housing and Economic Development, and Hope VI. The proposal to eliminate these programs is unthinkable. If the president thinks that he can dismantle these programs without Congress noticing, then he is terribly wrong."
Defense
"The president proposes spending billions more for his war in Iraq while putting the squeeze on everything else. More than one-fifth of the president's total budget is allocated to the Pentagon. It is time to bring our troops home and start investing at home."
Energy/Environment
"Sizable cuts to the Department of the Interior, the EPA and the Forest Service are the wrong choices."
Health Care
"Quality, affordable health care for those who need it most once again takes a back seat in the president's budget proposal. There are huge cuts to health care for seniors, children and low-income Americans. The president"s proposed tax deduction will do little if anything to help the nearly 47 million Americans without health insurance. An end-of-the-year tax deduction is essentially worthless to workers who can't afford to pay out-of-pocket each month."
http://www.house.gov/olver/news/pr070206.html