Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The people I know and the people I meet work very hard every day. They want an opportunity for a good job, they want good schools, safe communities, and the promise that when they retire they can live their years in dignity. They want a government that is fair and helps make progress towards the American dream.

But this Republican budget is not for the hardworking people of America. This Republican budget is crafted by the special interests for the special interests. Republicans stack the deck against working families and small businesses. Incomes of CEOs and the top 1 percent are soaring, but everyone else is working harder to get by.

We need an economy that is firing on all cylinders for everybody, creating jobs that pay enough to keep up. Yet the Republican budget raises taxes on middle class families in order to cut taxes for people who earn over $1 million.

Republicans ignore one of the most important ways to cut the debt and the deficit, and that is have more Americans working. If the middle class succeeds, then America succeeds.

Republicans refuse to find one special interest loophole in the Tax Code. If you are incredibly rich, then you are incredibly lucky because this budget is for you. You pay less. But if you are like the vast majority of Americans, hold on, because you are going to pay more.

If you are a student who wants to attend college, Republicans make that harder by cutting Pell grants and student loans.

The CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Chairman, if you have a job in construction at America's ports or in transportation, this Republican budget could cost you your job and new opportunities.

If you believe America should remain the world leader in medical and scientific research, sorry, the Republican budget slashes research at the National Institutes of Health or in universities and research institutions.

If you are an older American, the Republican budget asks you to pay much more for Medicare, long-term care, and nursing care. It takes away that secure lifeline that has been in place since Democratic Congresses passed Medicare and Medicaid so that you will be able to live your retirement years in dignity without the fear of poverty.

This Republican budget is a cynical, special-interest driven vision of America. I recommend a strong ``no'' vote in opposition.

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