Oberstar Says Congress Will Not Pass Bush Budget

So you want to puke over Bu$hco's 2009 budget? Take heart, folks with this news release from our Jim Oberstar:

Monday, February 04, 2008

Washington DC – Congressman Jim Oberstar is calling the budget for fiscal year 2009 that President Bush submitted to Congress today “proof positive that the President’s economic policies have failed the American people.”

“Seven years ago, President Bush took office with a projected surplus of $5.6 trillion. He’s turned that surplus into a $2.4 trillion dollar deficit and added $3.5 trillion to the national debt; the taxpayer’s share of the national debt grew from $25,000 to over $30,000. Under President Bush’s watch, we’ve seen our government’s effectiveness decline dramatically, as evidenced by the debacle of Hurricane Katrina and the disgraceful treatment of our veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. The budget President Bush unveiled today promises to saddle our children and grandchildren with more debt, while offering fewer services to working families,” said Oberstar.

President Bush’s budget proposes cuts of over $196 billion to Medicare and Medicaid in 2009. “Cutting back on health care for the poor and elderly will only increase the numbers of uninsured and underinsured in our country,” said Oberstar. “There were 40 million uninsured Americans when President Bush took office; today, there are 47 million, and that number will grow even larger if we enact this budget.”

Oberstar says there is no chance that Congress will approve the President’s budget as it was introduced today. “Democrats in Congress are going to introduce a fiscally-responsible budget that focuses on the priorities of the American people. It will be a blueprint for investing in America’s future that will address education, health care, tax relief for working families and reinvigorating the nation’s economy,” said Oberstar.

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