Washington, DC (March 13, 2008) – Today, Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) released the following statement in response to the passage of the 2009 Democratic budget resolution in the House of Representatives. The investment plan maps out the year’s budget priorities and serves as a tipping off point for future negotiations on specific spending bills:
“The Democrats have come up with a responsible budget that will enable Congress to follow through on a new set of priorities. We have passed a budget that will benefit not just wealthy Americans but all Americans, including the middle class, veterans, students, and seniors. It includes more funding for critical initiatives such as health care, education, and homeland security.
“My Republican counterparts argue that this investment plan is a tax hike on Americans. I beg to differ — the plan restores critical programs, imposes fiscal responsibility, and outlines a plan to begin to balance the budget without raising taxes. It makes sure that we stay within our means and puts us on a path toward a budget surplus by 2012.
“This budget moves America closer toward the goal of truly leaving no child behind. Our budget resolution provides $7.1 billion more than the President for vital education, job training, and social services programs. This increase will better ensure that key education initiatives like Head Start and No Child Left Behind receive the injection of funding they so desperately need.
“It will also ensure that the assault on Hispanic education programs stops. We will be better equipped to support critical programs affecting our Hispanic students such as dropout prevention, GEARUP, and the TRIO programs of Upward Bound and Talent Search. We will be better prepared to fund Hispanic-Serving Institutions, which educate nearly half of all Hispanic students in college.
“Currently, millions of our hardworking men and women go to bed each night in fear of a child becoming unexpectedly sick or injured. In Texas alone, 1.4 million children, or 20 percent of the state’s population, are living without health insurance. This is unacceptable. The Democratic budget accommodates an increase of $50 billion so that millions of children will not have to forego medical care. Once again, we intend to put America’s children first.
“By rejecting the President’s proposal to cut first responder programs, this budget upholds our obligation to effectively respond to our most immediate security threats. In addition, it upholds our commitment to America’s veterans by boosting funding by $3.6 billion. Our veterans, who have so bravely defended our country, deserve to have access to quality health care. This increase will enable the VA to treat 5.8 million patients in 2009, including 333,275 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.
“The federal budget is our most direct and telling statement of our nation’s values. Nothing demonstrates our values more than our spending choices. I am proud to support an investment plan that reflects our Democratic ideals and better secures our country’s future prosperity.”
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