February 2, 2004

SCHAKOWSKY BLASTS PRESIDENT BUSH'S BUDGET AS DISHONEST AND POLITICAL

CHICAGO, IL - U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) joined U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel, seniors, veterans, housing advocates and others to denounce President Bush's budget, which was delivered today to Congress.

Below is Schakowsky's statement from today's news conference in Chicago:

"In the past few hours, details about President Bush's budget are coming to light.  What we know so far is that President Bush submitted to Congress a budget that is harmful to most Americans and falls short of meeting the priorities of Illinois families. 

"President Bush's budget is a political document that rewards the wealthy and special interests at the expense of everyone else.  President Bush is demanding a sacrifice from working families, children, seniors, students, veterans and most Americans but he is guaranteeing that no millionaire's tax break is left behind.

"The dishonesty of this budget is breathtaking, but no real surprise.  This is a President who took us to war based on false pretenses and who said that his tax cuts for millionaires would create millions of jobs.   Most notable about this budget is what is not in it.  There is no mention of the tens of billions of dollars for the war in Iraq or funding for Afghanistan.   There is no mention of the cost of making the tax cut permanent, which is $1.7 trillion over the next ten years.  And there is no mention of the true cost of fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax - almost $500 billion over ten years.

"What is also missing in the Bush budget is the help that American families are looking for.  Working families cannot afford health care or child care.  Parents cannot afford money to send their children to college.  Seniors cannot afford their housing, heating bills or medicine, veterans have to wait for months to see a physician at the VA, and teachers still have to buy their own school supplies.  Yet, President Bush sees another America.  He said that, through his budget, 'Americans will see my priorities clearly at work.'  But in President Bush's budget, most needs are inadequately funded and won't even keep pace with inflation.  

"President Bush's budget cuts housing for seniors, people with disabilities and public housing by $30 million.  He slashes the Community Development black Grants by $316 million and Lead Hazard reduction programs by $35 million.  President Bush freezes funding for the Violence Against Women Act at last year's level, ignoring the real and unmet needs of women fleeing domestic violence.  And, according to the Disabled American Veterans, the Bush Budget could effectively ignore over 520,000 Priority Group 8 veterans, denying them access to the VA health system by 2005. 

"President Bush's budget holds all domestic discretionary spending, except for defense and homeland security, at 0.5%.  That is 1/3 of the increase needed to be able to just maintain funding for services at current levels.  We know we are not meeting education, health care, housing and other priorities of our nation today.   The Bush budget will make things even worse.  This is a budget that takes care of defense contractors and companies like Halliburton but fails to adequately fund health care for the uninsured, law enforcement, or domestic violence prevention.   

"At a time when so many of our constituents are struggling for jobs, health care, housing, President Bush is squeezing national domestic priorities."