Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) expressed disappointment today with the president’s budget for fiscal year 2006. 

“The president’s budget is fiscally and morally irresponsible. Americans value the freedom to succeed. Yet this budget ignores that freedom by making budget cuts that fall squarely on those who can least afford it.

“Americans value those who keep us safe and fight for our freedom. Yet this budget cuts funding for cops and firefighters and makes our veterans pay more for the health care they earned.

“Americans want to see their children prosper and their neighborhoods thrive. But this budget ignores the American value to promote opportunity by slashing billions in education, housing, and small business initiatives.

“This budget is fiscally irresponsible because it adds more than $4 trillion to the deficit in the next 10 years. Rather than ask those who have prospered most to give more, this budget puts more and more burden on the backs of those who have prospered least.”
 
Larsen also pointed out several other issues of concern in the president’s fiscal year 2006 budget:

· Meth: The COPS program, one of the only federal programs designed to help local police forces with staffing needs, drops from $606 million in FY05 to $118 million in FY06. The Methamphetamine Initiative funding in the COPS program that helps fund the Washington State Meth Initiative would go from $52,556,000 to $20,000,000. The proposal also eliminates Justice Assistance Grants (formerly known as Byrne Grants) that help fund drug task forces in Washington state, including the Snohomish County Drug Task Force.
· Veterans: The Department of Veterans Affairs’ funding is $2 billion less than what veterans organization say is necessary to meet current needs. The budget also calls for some veterans to pay a $250 deductible to use VA health care and a higher prescription drug co-payment.
· Community Needs: Community Development Block Grants funds that support social services like childcare programs, emergency shelters, and affordable housing efforts have been slashed by 25 percent.
· Border Needs: The budget breaks the promise of putting an additional 2,000 Border Patrol agents on the job in fiscal year 2006, as promised in landmark intelligence reforms passed late last year and endorsed by the 9/11 Commission. Instead, the budget only provides funding for 210 agents. The budget also eliminates the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program that helps communities get funds to prosecute illegal aliens.
· Education: The proposal cuts $440 million in Safe and Drug-Free School grants and $500 million in education technology state grants. The Bush budget freezes Impact Aid funding (for schools with high numbers of children of military personnel) at last year’s level and cuts funding for the Impact Aid school construction program.
· Jobs: The budget cuts job training services designed to help our workforce stay competitive by $500 million and slashes funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), which helps small Washington state manufacturers with everything from plant modernization to employee training, by nearly 60 percent.  It also eliminates the Advanced Technology Program, which sponsors research to solve manufacturing problems.  Small businesses employ nearly half of all workers and create three out of four new jobs, but the budget cuts funding for the Small Business Administration by $17 million or three percent.