A Weekly e-Newsletter from
Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)

March 23, 2007

Dear Friends,                              

This week the Senate debated the Budget Resolution, which serves as a blueprint for Congress when it decides how to appropriate federal dollars later in the year.  After several days of votes on various amendments to the bill, I voted against final passage today. This year’s Budget Resolution, which was drafted by Senate Democrats, is packed with heavy spending and the largest tax increase in U.S. history. Unfortunately, the bill passed by a vote of 52 to 47. 

The Budget Resolution increases non-defense discretionary spending by almost $150 billion over the next five years and adds $2.4 trillion to the gross national debt. It also contains no provisions for reducing entitlement spending. 

We must take large and immediate steps to end the reckless spending that is threatening the future of our nation. Congress must become better stewards of the taxpayers’ money.  We also simply cannot raise taxes on America’s families and businesses. In doing so, we abandon the very strategy that has created jobs, allowed businesses to expand, left more money in the pockets of our families and spurred unprecedented economic prosperity for the entire nation. 

Tax Relief

I was very disappointed that the Senate also rejected a number of amendments to the Budget Resolution to extend existing tax relief past 2010. I voted in favor of those amendments, including a vote to permanently repeal the estate tax. If Congress fails to extend tax relief past 2010, this Budget Resolution will raise taxes by $700 billion beginning in 2011.

The tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 lowered tax rates for individuals, businesses, dividends and capital gains, eliminated the marriage penalty and scaled back the alternative minimum tax and the death tax.  Critics said we were giving a handout to the rich, but the facts are these tax cuts created jobs, allowed businesses to expand and left more money in the pockets of our families. We must continue our nation’s unprecedented economic prosperity by making these tax cuts permanent. 

Farm Payments

One amendment to the Budget Resolution proposed earlier in the week would have lowered the annual limit set in the 2002 farm bill on federal crop payments to individual farmers from $360,000 to $250,000.  I spoke on the Senate floor on Wednesday to urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.  We debated farm payment limits extensively in 2002, and it would have been absolutely wrong to seek to change those now.  The costs of farm operations in Georgia are higher than in other regions of the country, and it would be absolutely destructive to enact this arbitrary cap.  Fortunately, the amendment was later withdrawn.

SCHIP

The Senate also rejected an amendment to the Budget Resolution that I sponsored with Senator Chambliss that would have ensured that the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, also known as SCHIP, did not fall short in providing important benefits to children as a result of some states using the program to cover adults.  I spoke on the floor in favor or our amendment, which would have taken the SCHIP program back to where it was intended, for children.  As the years have gone by, some states have chosen to enroll adults without children in their SCHIP programs, the result of which has compromised this program and taken money that was intended to go to children and sent it to adults.

What’s on Tap for Next Week?

Next week, the Senate will debate funding for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson