Economy & Budget

It is shocking to me that press reports are asserting that Senator Ted Kennedy is about to introduce an extreme new bill that will reward illegal immigrants with an even easier path to citizenship than last year's proposal and will reduce enforcement measures.

Most immigrants who have entered the United States illegally do not want to become American citizens. They are here to find better work opportunities than they find in their home countries. Businesses do not need workers to become U.S. citizens, and that is not what most immigrants desire. Why force them down this road?

By creating an easier path to citizenship, proponents of this bill are advancing a political agenda. They are not addressing the real concerns of those affected by current law, and are only deepening the divide on this controversial issue. In essence, they are devaluing U.S. citizenship for the millions of Americans who have entered the U.S. lawfully. The American public does not support the elements central to this proposed bill, and Congress should not be either.

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) is among the most pernicious part of the tax code for middle-class taxpayers.  Although created in 1969 to prevent tax avoidance by the very wealthiest of Americans, more and more middle-class families are now being ensnared by it.  In fact, one the worst parts about the AMT is most taxpayers don't know they have to pay it until they file their taxes, which is why I call it the "Stealth Tax".  This stealth tax is now unleashing an unprecedented sneak attack on millions of middle-income individuals and families.  Last year, I led the fight against this tax hike, and millions of middle-class taxpayers were saved from a massive tax increase.  Unfortunately, that relief only lasted through December 31, 2006, and unless Congress acts again, millions of middle-class Americans will face another stealth tax increase this year.  I look forward to working on this issue with my colleagues on the Ways & Means Committee, and ensuring that millions of middle-class Americans don't face a tax hike heading into 2008.  If you want more information on my bill, click here to visit the special section on my website about the Stealth Tax.

Last week, the President sent Congress a budget request which does not reflect a strong commitment to the people of rural America. The President’s budget proposals would cut deep into programs important to the quality of life in rural communities, in areas such as health care, education, law enforcement, economic development, agriculture, Social Security, and funding for our nation’s veterans. Unfortunately, these proposals are nothing new.

The President continues to force working families and small businesses in rural America to make sacrifices, while at the same time he pushes for permanent tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. Reducing our record deficits is a goal we all share, but it should not rest disproportionately on the backs of those living in rural areas. By forcing some to shoulder this national burden and not others, this budget reflects at best an unfair and misguided approach to our spending priorities and at worst a real neglect of rural America.

Last week, President Bush unveiled his budget priorities for 2008, which included a radical proposal to collapse over 20 separate Violence Against Women Act programs into one "consolidated competitive grant program." This program would force individual victim service organizations, police, prosecutors, judges, tribal governments and states to compete for funding from the federal government and would strip away critical, guaranteed funding to states through the Act's cornerstone provision - the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) grant program.

Since its 1994 passing, VAWA has provided over $4 billion dollars to combat domestic violence and sexual assault nationwide. The Violence Against Women Act's programs range from policies to encourage the prosecution of abusers, to victims' services to prevention programs. Now, all of our work is in jeopardy.

Forcing state governments to compete for limited funding may leave life-saving victim programs without resources and may jeopardize judicial and law enforcement improvements that hold abusers accountable. Those on the front lines of this battle will have to fight for resources to continue their work. This is doubly true for many new programs created in the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 - such as a badly-needed sexual assault services program and a judicial program for teenage victims of domestic violence. Read more...

This is a very important fight, a fight we will continue. It is imperative we succeed so that our rural, timber dependent counties have the funding they have traditionally received from these county payments. It is vital to having schools open, sheriffs departments staffed and roads paved. We will keep this fight up until we win, it’s just that simple.

The President’s budget has again failed rural America.  It cuts deepest at programs that are vital to rural families.  We must ensure the funding is there to protect and promote programs for families in rural America. Failure to do so will threaten the very existence of our nation’s farming and rural communities.

There are a lot of reasons for concern about the billions of dollars we’re spending in Iraq reconstruction. Yesterday we heard from Ambassador Bremer and Special Inspector General Bowen about the fact that 8 to 20 billion dollars cash were sent to Iraq and there’s not a clear accounting for where that money went…it’s disturbing to me. Today we’re looking at the issue of contractors who subcontract and their subcontractors who subcontract again, and whether the subcontractor who actually does the work is providing what’s required under the contract, and also whether there’s any padding of the bill by one subcontractor putting in his overhead and another subcontractor and the general contractor adding their charges as well.

For the first time in three years, President Bush has initiated a proposed increase of 3.2 percent for the National Endowment for the Arts, which would bring it to a total of $128.4 million. The Administration’s request for an increase is its first since 2005, and therefore is a step in the right direction. Moreover, it comes in the wake of strong signals from both parties in Congress that a funding increase is needed.

Nevertheless, our government is significantly under-investing in the NEA, which used to receive much greater funding: in fact, in 1992, the NEA received $176 million, which spurred significant economic growth, artistic achievement, and accessibility to the nation’s cultural organizations across the nation.

Americans for the Arts urges Congress to return NEA funding to its former level as quickly as possible.

Another year, another disappointing and deceitful budget from President Bush. Again he’s using creative accounting to mask the damage his uncontrolled spending is doing to our deficit, our economy, and our nation’s security. Again, the President fails to account for the full costs of the war in Iraq. And again he’s shortchanging veterans, retirees, students, middle class families and the environment.

I am particularly upset that the budget again under-funds veterans... who are in particular need right now, due to the wars the President started. I voted against the Iraq war authorization in October 2002... but now that we’re there, we need to bring our troops home safely, and we need to take care of the men and women who have made huge sacrifices in the name of our country, some of whom are, sadly, seriously injured, physically and mentally. Read more...

Over the past three years, we have seen our economy reach unprecedented levels – the pro-growth tax policies have proven results, and Americans are now enjoying a burgeoning economy and more jobs. But we must continue to work to get our financial house in order.

As the President proposes, we should seek ways to reduce spending while avoiding ill-advised tax increases. We should bolster programs that work and address those that don’t. Eliminating the federal deficit demands that we look at mandatory spending and reform programs such as Medicare and Medicaid to make them more effective and efficient.

Our national budget should provide for our national security by supporting our men and women in uniform and also keep our promises to our veterans.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Budget Committee to ensure that we maintain fiscal responsibility as we meet the many challenges facing our nation today.