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Statement on President Bush's Proposed FY 2009 Budget

Statement

Date: Feb. 4, 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Senior Citizens Unemployed and Low-Income Arts, Entertainment, and History Environment Housing and Property Criminal Justice


Statement On President Bush's Proposed FY 2009 Budget

People in Wisconsin and throughout the nation have reason to be angered and insulted by President Bush's latest, and thankfully last, budget proposal.

While again calling for $3 trillion in tax cuts for the privileged and well-connected over the next ten years, the President wants to finance those tax cuts, by drastically cutting funds for Medicare, Medicaid, the Centers for Disease Control, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance, Community Oriented Policing Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

For communities in Wisconsin, alone, the President proposes the following cuts* (adjusted for inflation):

* Law Enforcement Assistance (Byrne Grants) - Cuts $2.5 million
* Assistance to Firefighters - Cuts $13.2 million
* Municipal clean water facility maintenance and upgrades - Cuts $4.1 million
* Economic Development, Job Creation, Affordable Housing - Cuts $12.2 million
* Improving Teacher Quality - Cuts $2 million
* Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) - Cuts $11.2 million

This budget demonstrates how detached President Bush is from the economic realities that families and communities are dealing with because of the failed policies of his administration. The Congress will now work on cleaning up yet another Bush administration mess and offer a budget that attempts to reduce the deficit, restore fiscal responsibility, and prioritize much needed services for the common good.

* Source: State-by-State Analysis of the President's FY 2009 Budget, issued by U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget.


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