Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2005

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2005 -- (House of Representatives - March 25, 2004)

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Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Chairman, there is a moral dimension to these huge tax cuts the Republicans give to the upper two percentiles. In this budget, they cut research that would cover Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, heart disease, diabetes, by $553 million, the research dollars that will help every American family to avoid the tragedy of these diseases which would ravage their families.

Tax cuts should not come before an increase in the budget for the NIH, but worse than that, they also cut $23.6 billion out of Medicaid, which is the budget which is used for Grandma and Grandpa in nursing homes across our country with Alzheimer's, with Parkinson's, with heart disease and every other illness that afflicts our country.

They cannot have it both ways. They cannot not fund increases in NIH research to cure diseases and not have the funding then when they do not cure it in order to take care of Grandma and Grandpa in nursing homes.

Watch out, Grandma. Watch out, Grandpa. GOP used to stand for Grand Old Party. Now it stands for Get Old People, for Got Our Pensions, and that is exactly what is happening in this Republican budget.

The tax cuts for the wealthiest are sacrosanct, and as a result, programs that will help every American family deal with the ravages of disease has to be cut, whether it be in research or in nursing homes. GOP, get-old-people.

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