The Failed Economic Policies of this Administration

THE FAILED ECONOMIC POLICIES OF THIS ADMINISTRATION -- (House of Representatives - April 20, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rogers of Alabama). Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, prior to our recess, the House voted on a $2.3 trillion budget with a $521 billion deficit, showing that it is impossible to finance three wars with three tax cuts.

This budget, the budget by the President and Republican majority, repeats the same mistakes that have resulted in a jobless economy and a health care and wage recession with the lowest growth in wages in the period of economic growth in the last 30 years.

We have 2.5 million Americans that have lost their jobs in the last 3 years, 43 million Americans without health care, 2 million Americans who were once in the middle class and now in poverty, 1.6 percent job wage growth in the areas of salaries, and $1 trillion in corporate and individual foreclosures and bankruptcies. That is the economic record of this administration as embodied by the budget the President submitted.

During the 2000 Presidential election, President Bush declared that he was opposed to nation-building. Who knew it was America he was talking about when he said he was opposed to nation-building. This budget and the President's economic vision is really a tale of two budgets. We look at his vision for the United States, and we look at his vision for Iraq. We spent more than $100 billion in Iraq on the occupation, but without promising the same promise and same future here at home to the American people.

I am not opposed to rebuilding in Iraq, but I am opposed to making the investments at home while we are making the same investments in Iraq.

Let us take a look at it. Today we provide universal health care coverage in Iraq as one of our goals. 44 million Americans are without health insurance; 33 million Americans work full time with no health care.

There is universal job training in Iraq, and yet in the President's own budget we have cut back on the funds for job training. In health, 2,200 Iraqis health professionals and 8,000 volunteers are receiving free training. In America, health training funds in the President's budget were cut by 64 percent. 150 clinics and hospitals have been rebuilt to serve 3 million Iraqis, and yet in America community health care clinics are cut by 91 percent in the President's budget.
Under veterans, $60 million has been spent to train Iraqi veterans of past wars, but we are cutting veterans medical care here in the United States by $257 million.

In the area of education, we have built or rebuilt 2,300 schools in Iraq, but Leave No Child Behind is underfunded by $8 billion in the President's budget.

Iraqi universities are getting $20 million for higher ed partnerships; but in America, the Pell grant has been frozen for 3 years while the cost for education has gone up 10 percent.

The area of law enforcement, $500 million to train the Iraqi police, yet the COPS program in the United States under the President's budget was cut by $659 million.

In the area of public housing, $470 million is being spent for Iraqi public housing; yet here in the United States, $791 million is cut from section 8 vouchers.

In the environment, we are paying $3.6 billion for clean water and sewage systems in Iraq; and in America, under the President's budget, we cut $500 million from the clean water for safe drinking water here in the United States.
In the area of infrastructure, the port of Umm Qasar was completely rebuilt in Iraq, yet the Corps of Engineers budget under the President's budget was cut by 10 percent.

Roads, we spent $240 million on roads and bridges in Iraq. Here at home, the President has a veto threat on our highway and mass transit programs.

As President Bush seeks reelection, he can say he kept his commitment against nation-building. The problem is his opposition to nation-building is here at home. With this budget, the administration, the President is telling the American people that they have two priorities, two sets of values, two sets of books: one for the Iraqi people and one for the American people. And yet those are the wrong values.

The American people are the most generous people in the world. They are willing to commit to Iraq's future, one of a better tomorrow, but not at the expense that comes at the expense of America's tomorrow; not that comes at the expense of America's children.

America can no longer be so generous around the world if the future that we hold for the American people is less than the one we are promising in Iraq.

Mr. Speaker, the same values that we hold for Iraq we must pledge for all Americans.

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