Washington, Feb 4 – Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) called President Bush’s FY09 budget irresponsible and misguided as he plans on increasing tax cuts to the wealthy and cutting domestic funding. “This is not a budget that serves the needs of the people of Northeast Ohio,” Kucinich said.
“The federal budget is a statement about priorities. This budget continues the acceleration of wealth upward by giving subsidies and policies that are kind to large corporations and the wealthy, while neglecting the needs of working people and keeping us in a war that cannot be won militarily.
“The budget would cut $170 billion from Medicare while maintaining giant slush funds for HMOs to pad their profits. If the President was serious about holding down health care costs, he would support HR 676, the only health care reform plan that would control costs while expanding full health care to all.
“In the midst of the subprime foreclosure meltdown, the President wants to cut funding for the Section 8 housing voucher program for low-income housing assistance while giving the Defense department an increase of $35 billion to $515 billion for non-Iraq/Afghanistan war funding. And while health care costs continue to rise and more and more veterans are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the President’s budget increases out-of-pocket costs for veterans’ health care.
“There is a $65 million cut from aeronautics at NASA, a historical strength of NASA Glenn, from a $512 billion budget in FY08. At the same time, our country is in dire need of more fuel efficient aircraft and increases in efficiency of traffic coordination at airports, both of which require federal research funds. I will continue to work to strengthen aeronautics funding for NASA Glenn.
“It also throws over $2 billion dollars in subsidies at financially and environmentally unsustainable nuclear and coal power, and over $10 billion for “star wars,” an unnecessary and unworkable missile defense system. And the budget gives away subsidies for oil companies that want to drill in our ecologically fragile coastal areas while cutting funding to LIHEAP, a program that helps low-income Americans heat their homes.”
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Dandelion Salad 