Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2005

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005 -- (House of Representatives - March 24, 2004)

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Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) for not yelling. The chairman of the Committee on the Budget asked a few minutes ago why our Democratic colleagues keep yelling, and I think they hope that all their yelling will drown out how wrong they are on the facts. But let us talk about what those facts actually are.

This Republican budget is a fiscally responsible budget. It has no tax increases over the next 5 years. It makes the current tax cuts permanent on the American working people, and it cuts the deficit in half over the next 4 years.

But what we hear from the Democrat side is double-talk, talking from both sides of their mouths. And sometimes you even hear talking from both sides of the mouth from the same individual on the same issue. Let me give you some examples of that.

The very talented Democratic whip, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) said, "The Republicans are spending like there's no tomorrow." But then he also, same person, mind you, again, the distinguished, talented Democratic whip then says as a reaction to the gentleman from Iowa's (Mr. Nussle) alternative proposal to cut 1 percent in waste, fraud and abuse, he says, again, I repeat, cutting 1 percent of waste, fraud and abuse would be "senseless and irresponsible." Same human being, same issue.

Let us look at what the Democrats have proposed, and I think it is important, the facts. Again, that is why I am not screaming, because we have the facts on our side of the issue.

Last year Democrats proposed alternatives to major pieces of legislation that would have added almost a trillion dollars to the deficit, and yet America just heard the other side, the Democrats complaining about too much spending in some areas.
But they propose almost a trillion dollars to the deficit, increase to the deficit.

They then this year, now the facts are that in the Committee on the Budget they proposed increased spending. These are actual amendments, these are facts. Look it up; it is easy to find, increased spending of $28.6 billion in just fiscal year 2005.

And here is the kicker: They proposed raising taxes on the hard-working American people by $28.9 billion. That is more than half the entire budget of the State of Florida. That is this year in committee alone, and yet then they say that we are spending too much money or the deficit is too large. That is why they scream, because the facts are what they are trying to drown out.

Democrats' amendments would have increased spending by almost $36 billion and increased taxes by $53.6 billion over the next 5 years. These are the facts that when you cut through all the loud yelling and screaming of the Democrats, good rhetoric, the facts are, the bottom line is, that they are trying to increase taxes massively on the American people. They are drastically trying to increase the taxes on every single American person in this country, hard-working people.

The budget that we have in front of us has tax cuts, does not increase taxes, makes them permanent. Those are the facts.