Durbin Issues a "Rural Report Card" on President's Budget
DURBIN ISSUES A "RURAL REPORT CARD" ON PRESIDENT'S BUDGET
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined his colleagues to release the "Rural Report Card" to illustrate the impact of the Administration's budget cuts in programs that directly affect the quality of life of rural Americans.
"The President's budget is our first real opportunity to understand the Administration's priorities for the nation," said Durbin. "Sadly, this budget continues to provide tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans at the expense of working American families - especially those in rural areas. It not only proposes significant cuts to vital programs, such as rural law enforcement, it calls for the elimination of several others, including important funding for smaller hospitals. Funding for rural programs should be a top priority, but this budget puts them last."
The Rural Report Card focused on seven areas where the budget cuts deep into rural Illinois:
1) RURAL LAW ENFORCEMENT -Durbin pointed to the President's budget cuts in funding for local and state law enforcement and first responders. He noted that the following funding sources are critical to Illinois law enforcement and that cuts, totaling approximately $1 billion nationally, will handicap a wide range of services that rural communities depend on including combating Illinois' growing methamphetamine problem.
Firefighters & First Responders: The President's budget eliminates the SAFER firefighter hiring program, which provides funding to fire departments to hire additional firefighters and first responders. In Illinois, over $1.3 million was awarded to fire departments for hiring and recruiting additional firefighters in 2005.
The President's budget also proposes to cut funding for the FIRE program nearly in half, reducing its budget from $545 million to $293 million. The FIRE program provides fire departments with vital equipment and training. In 2005, Illinois was awarded over $25 million for fire department equipment. Durbin noted that these programs are especially important to Illinois' rural and volunteer fire departments.
Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program: The President's budget eliminates this important program, which was budgeted at $327 million last year. Durbin expressed serious concern that the elimination of this program could significantly impact the ability of Illinois law enforcement to combat the state's growing meth problem. The amount of meth seized by the Illinois State Police increased nearly tenfold between 1997 and 2003. Ending the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funds would severely hamper regional methamphetamine task forces and several crime prevention programs.
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS): The President's budget cuts funding for the successful Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program by 78 percent. Since COPS was created in 1994, the program has assisted Illinois law enforcement agencies in reducing violent crime by awarding the state more than $422.7 million in COPS grants for community policing efforts. These grants have funded 5,530 additional police officers and sheriff's deputies in Illinois, benefiting 682 local and state law enforcement agencies. In addition, $22 million has been awarded to hire 182 school resource offices to improve safety for students, teachers and administrators in Illinois elementary and high schools. The program has also awarded $50.3 million to enhance crime fighting technologies, allowing Illinois law enforcement officers to spend more time on the streets preventing and fighting crime.
2) RURAL HEALTHCARE - Durbin noted that the elimination of 28 programs in the Department of Health and Human Services, as recommended by the budget, would have a significant impact on rural health care in Illinois. At a time when rural areas are struggling to recruit and retain doctors and nurses, provide better emergency care to rural residents, and enhance access to primary care, this budget is proposing to reduce federal resources.
Medicare: Medicare will lose more than $36 billion over the next five years. Over the next ten years, as the baby boomers retire, the President's budget would reduce Medicare spending by $105 billion dollars.
Rural Hospital Flexibility Grants: The President's budget eliminates Rural Hospital Flexibility Grants. These grants help maintain and upgrade small hospitals in rural areas. They also coordinate and improve health care delivery in rural parts of the country. Illinois receives $650,000 annually from this grant for its 51 critical access hospitals.
AHEC: One particularly unwise cut is Area Health Education Centers. The President's budget would eliminate these vital centers which improve access to health care services, predominantly primary health care, through projects and activities that link health professionals in medically underserved communities with educational opportunities. These centers serve rural regions that have medically underserved populations or that experience shortages of health professionals. This program was established in 1991 to improve primary health care for underserved urban and rural areas. Illinois has seven Area Health Education Centers that are making significant contributions in the area of rural health. For example, the Western Area Education Center in Quincy, Illinois set up the Illinois Rural Interdisciplinary Network, which provides learning opportunities for rural health providers at three rural Illinois sites- Carthage, Dixon, and Girard. The Western Center also offers tele-health training for workers at small rural hospitals, so that they do not have to travel long distances to receive continuing education.
Allied Health Professionals Grant Program: At a time when rural areas are having difficulties recruiting and keeping qualified people, the President's budget cuts resources for allied health professional programs. Last year, Illinois received a $278,000 grant to improve access to quality physical therapy and occupational therapy in medically underserved areas. Rush University was awarded $396,000 in 2004 to set up a program for increasing the numbers of qualified faculty to teach in allied health shortage areas. Rural areas need more medical personnel and this grant program is helping achieve that goal.
3) EDUCATION - Durbin noted that the President's proposed cut to education funding, by $2.1 billion, is the largest cut in the 26-year history of the Department of Education.
No Child Left Behind: The President's budget would hurt rural school districts in Illinois that rely on federal dollars provided for No Child Left Behind. The bulk of federal funding for NCLB is provided through Title I. Title I helps schools provide textbooks, teachers, and additional classroom help to students from low-income families. The shortfall in Title I funds could affect more than 159,000 Illinois school children by shortchanging the state of $530 million for the program.
Student Financial Aid Programs: For the fourth year in a row, the President's budget makes college unaffordable for thousands of students in rural Illinois areas by freezing the maximum Pell grant at $4,050 and eliminating the Perkins Loan program, which provides low-interest loans to help needy students. Last year, over 194,000 Illinois students were awarded nearly $450 million in Pell grants. In 2004, over $95 million in Perkins loans helped over 40,000 Illinois college students.
Education Programs Terminated: The President's budget proposes to cut 42 existing education programs, including ones that play a large role in rural Illinois, such as GEAR UP and TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound.
These programs help disadvantaged students overcome the challenges that might prevent them from graduating from high school and going on to college. In Illinois, Northeastern Illinois University and the Illinois Department of Human Services received $8.2 million and $3.5 million, respectively, in GEAR UP grants. The proposed termination of the TRIO programs would also have a significant impact on rural Illinois students. Through the TRIO programs proposed for termination, Illinois received over $17.8 million in 2004, which served over 19,000 disadvantaged students.
Vocational and Technical education: The President has proposed eliminating all vocational and technical education programs by proposing zero funding for the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act. Last year, Illinois colleges received over $15.3 million in Perkins grants, with nearly one-third going to colleges serving rural Illinois students.
4) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - The President's budget would drastically cut economic initiatives relied on by Illinois' rural communities. Durbin noted that the economic development initiatives often benefit smaller communities in Illinois.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program: The President's budget requested a $736 million cut in funding for Community Development Block Grants. This is a reduction of about 20 percent from last year's proposal. In 2005, Illinois received about $177 million in CDBG funds which were invested in projects around the state, many in smaller rural areas. The CDBG program is critical for three types of projects across the state of Illinois:
# Infrastructure investment. In 2004, the CDBG program assisted over 100 Illinois communities pay for improvements to their water, sanitary, or storm water systems.
# Business investment. Community Development Block Grants helped at least 13 Illinois businesses to create or retain more than 1,000 jobs in 2004.
# Housing rehabilitation. Illinois used CDBG to provide housing rehabilitation to low income homeowners in small and rural communities. In 2004, at least 313 homes in 27 communities were rehabilitated to address health and safety issues, and, where appropriate, accessibility issues for people with disabilities.
Durbin added that, according to Governor Blagojevich, in 2004 every CDBG dollar Illinois invested in infrastructure and housing spurred more than three dollars of other public and private investment. This yielded more than $109 million in additional dollars for Illinois communities.
Rural Housing and Economic Development: The President has requested that the Department of Housing and Urban Development eliminate the $25 million program for Rural Housing and Economic Development. The budget proposes to fold this program into the Community Development Block Grant program, which is already experiencing a 20 percent cut.
Last year, a $100,000 Rural Housing and Economic Development grant was awarded to Anna, Illinois. This grant was used to support Bethany Village, which serves the homeless and others who are in the midst of a crisis. The $100,000 was awarded to Anna to help build a "haven" for the homeless that would include a food pantry, a clothing closet, and homeless prevention services. Anna, Illinois pledged to supplement that $100,000 with another $243,377 to make this project happen. This kind of rural program would be all but eliminated with the proposed budget cuts.
5) AGRICULTURE -The President's budget drains federal spending from rural America by scaling back investment in farm income, consolidating farm service agency offices, restricting eligibility for food stamp benefits and cutting energy assistance to low income families.
Scaling Back Investments in Farm Income: The President's budget proposes cutting farm income assistance by 5 percent, including marketing loan benefits, direct and countercyclical payments and Milk Income Loss Compensation program payments. This 5 percent cut in farm income would mean Illinois farmers would loose $65 million.
Consolidating Farm Service Agency Offices: The President's budget plans to consolidate Farm Service Agency offices; in effect, limiting services to farmers. Farm Service Agency offices are where our producers go when they need to deal government programs that affect them. Illinois has 93 Farm Service Agency offices, which are effectively used to administer programs.
6) FOOD STAMPS- Durbin noted that the average monthly food stamp allowance of $94 makes a big difference to those in poverty. New rules will make it significantly more difficult for rural families to receive food stamp assistance.
Currently, families receiving non-cash assistance through Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or receiving Supplemental Security Income are automatically eligible for food stamps. Under the President's budget, these individuals will no longer be eligible. The Congressional Budget Office noted that 225,000 people who qualify for Food Stamps today will no longer be eligible if the proposed changes become law. Each year, more than a million people in Illinois who need help buying food are receiving that help through Food Stamps. Durbin said the 500,000 children in Illinois who are living in poverty also need this assistance.
7) RURAL ENEGRY- The President's budget fails to provide good answers to energy challenges rural Americans faces with increasing gas prices, more expensive home heating costs, and the need for developing clean and alternative fuel resources.
Gasoline Prices: Since 2001, the average monthly price of regular unleaded gasoline rose from $1.43 per gallon to $2.27 per gallon at the end of last year - a 58 percent increase. Diesel fuel rose from $1.40 per gallon to $2.40 in the same time period - a 71 percent increase. The Energy Information Administration projects that these prices will hold steady or increase over the course of the next two years.
LIHEAP: The President's budget does not provide adequate funding for low-income Americans struggling to meet their energy needs. This budget cuts the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to just $1.782 billion from $2.161 billion. LIHEAP funds assist low income households in covering rising residential energy costs. Only two states typically receive more LIHEAP funds than Illinois, and last year the state received nearly $113 million in assistance. In a year when many Illinois residents have seen home heating costs double, the budget for Illinois would be cut by more that $11 million.
Clean Cities Program: The President's budget includes a $3.6 million cut in the Clean Cities program, which partners with local governments to encourage the use of clean non-petroleum fuels and alternative fuel vehicles. Overall, proposed funding for transportation technology research and development has been relatively flat under this administration's budgets.
More information on how the Administration's budget cuts disproportionately affect rural Americans can be obtained by contacting Durbin's office at: (202) 224-2152.
http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=251449&&