Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2010--Continued

Floor Speech

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2010--Continued -- (Senate - April 02, 2009)

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Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I support the budget resolution for fiscal year 2010. The resolution embraces many priorities that I strongly support. They include a renewed commitment to energy efficiency, educational improvements, middle-class tax cuts, and our veterans.

The resolution preserves the major priorities in President Obama's budget that was submitted to Congress. The President's budget outlined a blueprint for addressing and reversing the effects of the deep recession, collapse of the housing and credit markets, and the rise in joblessness that we inherited from the previous administration by setting the stage for sustained economic growth through investments in energy, education, and infrastructure, which were begun in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, ARRA. Since President Obama's budget was submitted to Congress, the CBO's re-estimate of that budget has added $2.3 trillion to long-term deficit projections. Accordingly, the resolution adjusts the President's budget to cut the long-term deficit in half from $1.2 trillion in fiscal year 2010 to $508 billion in fiscal year 2014 while retaining the President's core priorities.

The resolution matches the funding level in the President's budget for fiscal year 2010 energy discretionary funding to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of fuel, produce green jobs, promote renewable energy development, and improve the electric transmission grid, while encouraging energy conservation and efficiency.

I am pleased that this resolution continues with green investments made in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and provides increases for the energy efficiency and renewable energy program. The resolution will enable investments in further research and development in clean and sustainable energy technologies from resources that are abundant in my State of Hawaii, such as wind, solar, ocean, hydrogen, and biomass.

The resolution invests in our Nation's future by fully funding the President's request for discretionary education and training programs. This includes expanding early childhood education programs that have proven to be so instrumental in preparing our Nation's children for future success. The
budget also increases support for programs designed to reach out to low-income students so that every child has an equal opportunity to succeed. Similarly, by providing the necessary funding to support a $5,550 maximum Pell grant award in the 2010-2011 school year, this budget resolution will provide much needed assistance to individuals striving to achieve their higher education goals including adults returning to school to revise and revamp their skills in order to more effectively compete in today's workforce.

I was also pleased to see that funding was included in the budget resolution to enhance and improve the capability of the Federal acquisition workforce. In my role as both chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, I have long advocated for improvements in the hiring and retention of Federal employees. Similarly, I strongly support funding for the reform of Department of Defense processes for the acquisition of weapons systems including the reduction of no-bid and cost-plus contracts.

As chairman of the Federal Workforce Subcommittee, I am pleased the resolution provides pay parity between Federal civilian and military servicemembers in the average annual pay raise, which is consistent with more than 20 years of congressional precedent and my priorities.

Turning to items in the budget resolution for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the resolution includes the President's request, plus $540 million to compensate for the ill-advised proposal that would have billed veterans' insurance companies for service-connected care. President Obama made the right decision not to move forward with that proposal. Veterans' care and benefits are a cost of war and treatment for conditions directly related to service is the responsibility of the government alone.

The resolution also includes mandatory budget authority for important benefits, such as compensation and pension, for veterans and their survivors. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the administration to enact the funding increases and targeted programs to help VA adapt to the changing needs of veterans and their loved ones.

My colleagues, this resolution, with its targeted investments and changed public-policy priorities, will help us address the essential needs of the Nation.

I urge my colleagues to support the budget resolution for fiscal year 2010.

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