Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2012

Floor Speech

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Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Chair, the Republican budget for FY 2012 continues the reckless Republican fiscal policy. It takes a slash and burn approach to the budget, rather than going line by line to see where we can afford to cut and where we cannot. This is a budget that favors Big Oil over the middle class, asks for sacrifice from seniors who can barely make ends meet, and fundamentally alters the social contract in our America.

The budget would open an enormous hole in our country's social safety net by turning Medicare into a voucher program. These fixed-value vouchers do not account for the yearly increases in health care costs and will increase seniors' annual out-of-pocket expenses by nearly $7,000. Their budget would decimate our primary assistance to the poor by turning Medicaid into a block grant. This is the Republican vision: to balance the budget on the backs of the seniors and the poor.

Madam Chair, Democrats have a better way. We understand that our current economic situation calls for a balanced approach that protects our fragile recovery. Our plan would take on our deficits in a responsible way, while continuing to invest in the things that make our country strong: education, health care, innovation, and clean energy. Democrats will balance the budget without reneging on the bedrock promise of Social Security and Medicare.

Madam Chair, this Republican budget moves us backwards. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting against it and taking a more sensible approach.

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Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of the alternative budget of the Congressional Black Caucus. This budget makes smart investments in our future by focusing on education, workforce training, and advanced research and development for clean energy technologies.

As you all know, minority communities took the hardest hit during the economic recession. In my district, we suffer from rates of unemployment and home foreclosure that are significantly higher than the rest of the country. Although our nation's economy is showing positive signs of growth, we must continue to make critical investments in our communities to facilitate our recovery. The CBC's alternative budget does this by investing $20 billion more than the President's Budget in education and job training programs that will prepare our young leaders to win the future.

While the CBC recognizes the importance of creating a budget that is fiscally responsible, we cannot slash spending and investment on the backs of the most vulnerable Americans. The CBC's alternative budget reduces the deficit over the next decade and makes smart investments in education, job creation, and transportation and infrastructure. Without these investments, the United States will lose its competitive edge.

Unlike the Republican budget proposal, the CBC's alternative budget protects Medicare and Medicaid, and ensures that the most vulnerable in our society have access to quality healthcare services. The CBC's alternative budget also restores cuts to programs like the Low Income Heating Assistance Program, Community Development Block Grants and Pell Grants for students.

The CBC's alternative budget will also provide $20 billion more than the President's Budget for needed transportation and infrastructure projects. These investments will help to create jobs, facilitate the movement of goods, and help keep our economy moving forward.

I urge my colleagues to support the CBC's alternative budget plan, which reduces our deficit responsibly over the next decade and invests in the future prosperity of every American.

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