Transcripts

SPEAKER: It's ironic that this administration talks so much about returning power to local government, when in fact, they concentrate so much power in a small group of anonymous presidential aides. The most fundamental decisions affecting the American people are now often beyond the reach of state officials, local officials, and now even the Congress.

But the president's real message is not in his speech. It's found in his budget, where a government puts its money, tells the truth about its commitments. The president's budget calls for severe cutbacks in our existing investments in decent housing, employment, education, health, the poor and the aged, and agriculture.

This budget would among other things, eliminate 180,000 desperately needed jobs. In federal aid for low and moderate income housing, slash health research, aid to education, Medicare benefits for the aged, and abolish practically every effort to strengthen rural America.

While nearly 100 programs to help people would be destroyed, the defense and foreign aid budgets would rise dramatically. And not a single tax loophole for the rich would be closed. The president claims that our investment in human resources is increasing.

But these increases are in the Social Security program, which is separate and self-supporting. They are not inflationary because they are fully funded by the payroll tax. And we have passed most of these increases over the president's objections.

Aside from Social Security, this budget is nothing less than a disaster for the people of our country. Can you imagine recommending that hospital charges for most older Americans under Medicare be doubled? Can you imagine ending this nation's program for community mental health centers?

Can you imagine cutting job training by 29% and abolishing public service employment? Can you imagine reducing aid to our public schools? Yet, this is exactly what the president's budget does.