Hoyer: Republican Budget Bad For Maryland's Families

Hoyer: Republican Budget Bad For Maryland's Families
Thursday, November 10, 2005

Washington, DC -Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) today held a conference call with the Maryland Democratic Congressional delegation to express strong opposition to the Republican budget plan being considered today. Upon completion of the call, Hoyer released the following:

"For nearly five years, the Republican Party in Washington has pursued the most irresponsible - and dangerous - fiscal policies in the history of our nation," Hoyer said. "The national debt, which recently topped $8 trillion, is threatening our economic well-being and compromising the future of our children and grandchildren."

Hoyer also explained how the Republican budget plan fails to reflect the values of Maryland families and would put the nation even further into debt through massive tax cuts for the rich. "The Republican budget plan increases the deficit by $20 billion, and cuts critical assistance for students, seniors, and Maryland families in need," said Hoyer.

At a time when college tuition is skyrocketing, the Republican budget slashes student loans by more than $14 billion - increasing the costs for the 91,317 student borrowers in Maryland. This includes raising student loan increasing rate caps and raising interest rates and fees on student borrowers who consolidate their loans.

"As the costs of four-year public colleges continue to rise - with a 46 percent increase since 2001 - we should be making financial aid more readily available," Hoyer added. "It is simply immoral to balance the budget on the backs of our nation's students and their families."

Furthermore, the Republican budget slashes Medicaid funding by $10 billion, which would have a severe impact on the 752,065 children, seniors and others in Maryland who rely on Medicaid for their health care. Among its cuts, the budget allows states to charge premiums and co-payments to some Medicaid-eligible children for the first time - reducing their access to health care.

"Low-income families and children rely on this assistance for their health and well being," Hoyer continued. "Meanwhile, the Republican budget plan provides $106 billion in new tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. These are the wrong priorities for America."

The Republican budget also slashes federal funding for collecting money from "dead beat dads" or child support enforcement, which will result in an estimated reduction of $454 million in child support collections in Maryland over the next 10 years - effectively cutting child support payments to single parents who are struggling to provide for their children.

"Throughout my career in Congress, I have worked to enhance opportunities for all children, including those with special needs," Hoyer said. "This budget would undermine decades of progress our state has made in improving the lives of our most vulnerable children."

Hoyer said he will continue to work with members of both parties to get America back on the right fiscal track. "The very first thing that we must do is reinstate the pay-as-you-go budget rules that were supported by Democrats and Republicans throughout the 1990s, and that led to four consecutive budget surpluses and fostered the strongest economy since World War II," he concluded. "All of Maryland's families deserve the opportunity to leave their children with a more prosperous nation than the one they inherited."

http://www.hoyer.house.gov/newsroom/index.asp?ID=528&DocumentType=Press+Release