Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2005

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

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of Tuesday, March 23, 2004, and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the concurrent resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 393.

The Chair designates the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson) as Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, and requests the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) to assume the chair temporarily.

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Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Chairman, budgets are about priorities and America's budget ought to reflect America's priorities.

Once again, Republicans have presented a budget that makes spending billions of dollars on tax cuts for the wealthy a higher priority than confronting the issues my constituents worry about, such as fixing our broken health care system and putting America back to work, educating our children, and keeping our promises to our seniors and veterans.

In short, people who make over a million dollars a year come first, while millions of hard-working Americans foot the bill. Those who need it the very least get the most, and those who need the help the most get the very least.

Perhaps some of you have heard of a popular TV reality show called "The Simple Life." It introduces two young wealthy heiresses onto an Arkansas farm where they are exposed to hard work and a set of struggles they have not witnessed firsthand before.

Under this budget resolution, hotel heiress Paris Hilton would make out big. Given her family's $300 million fortune and her earnings from filming the show, she belongs to an elite group of Americans who make over $1 million per year. She would save over $150,000 in taxes per year under the policies that are embraced in this Republican budget resolution.

So what about the family she stayed with? Well, I confess I do not know the annual income of the farm family that hosted them, but I can tell you that the average farm family in my home State would save roughly $600 from the tax cut policies in this budget. But at what cost to maintain these tax cuts?

First, the Republican budget resolution pays for them by borrowing from future generations, so we can all pay a little bit of the interest on the debt incurred to pay for Paris Hilton's tax cut.

Second, the Republican budget resolution pays for these tax cuts by ignoring pressing American problems like our health care crisis and job losses.

Lastly, this resolution pays for these tax cuts by cutting or freezing vital investments in our future like education and keeping our promises to seniors and veterans.

Now, I have had a little fun with "The Simple Life," but the bottom line is very serious. I can tell you that putting tax cuts for the wealthy before the needs of hard-working Americans will have serious impacts on their lives and our future.