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GOP House BudgetFiscally responsible
NO.The GOP budget calls for deficits for as far as the eye can see, never achieving balance- adding another $2.3 trillion to the national dept over the next five years.
House Democratic Budget
YES. The deficit is lower than the GOP budget over the next 5 years, and gets to balance in 6 years.Reimposes the pay-as- you-go rules,which requires that spending increases and tax cuts to be paid for, and which brought surpluses in 1990's
Make America Safer here at home
GOP House Budget
NO. Cuts homeland security by up to $488 million this year and up to $6.1 billion over five years.Is not much better than the President's budget,which eliminates port security grants and rail and transit security grants-- rolling them into larger grant program.
House Democratic Budget
YES. Provides $6.5 bilion more over the next five years for homeland security, thereby guaranteeing funding for border security, port security, and first responders.
Adequately Funds Veterans' programs.
House GOP budget
NO. Cuts funding for veterans' health care by $6 billion over the next 5 years.
House Democratic Budget
YES. Provides $8.6 billion more over the next five years for veterans' helth care than the GOP budget. Also rejects increases in TRICARE health care costs for more than 3 million military retirees and their families.
Targets Tax Cuts to the middle class
House GOP Budget
NO. Follows the President's budget, which provides $2.5 trillion in tax cuts over the next 10 years,targeted to the very wealthiest taxpayers.
House Democratic Budget
YES. Provides $150 billion for middle- class tax relief such as child tax credit, marriage penalty, and 10 percent invidual bracket.
Addresses problems with the Prescription Drug Benefit.
House GOP Budget
NO. Does nothing to address the serious problems in confusing and costly Bush Prescription Drug plan.
House Democratic Budget
YES. Uses PPO slush fund and savings from negotiating drug prices to improve the Prescription Drug plan by working to close the donut hole and providing that drug coverage is reliable.Also extends enrollment deadline without penalty.
Provides funding for key discretionary health care initatives.
House GOP Budget
NO. Identical to the Bush budget, which slashes rural health activities, underfunds NIH, and cuts prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control. Also cuts physicain payments by 5 percent each year.
House Democratic Budget
YES. Provides $18 billion more over the next five years for discretionary health care programs than the GOP budget, including NIH and the Centers for Disease Control. Provides for an increase in Medicare physician payments in 2007.
Makes college more afforable.
House GOP Budget
NO. Identical to the Bush budget, which freezes Pell Grants for college and denies more than 460,000 students low-cost loans. This is on top of the $12 billion cut in student loan funding that Republicans just enacted.
House Democratic Budget
YES. Rejects the GOP cuts in higher education programs.Also lowers the cost of student loans-cutting the interest rate on student loans in half in 2007.
Expands educational opportunity
House GOP Budget
NO. Identical to Bush budget, which underfunds No Child Left Behind by 39 percent, denying extra math and reading help to 3.7 million children and shutting 2 million children out of after-school programs.
House Democratic Budget
YES. Provides $4.6 billion more in 2007 and $45.3 billion more over the next five years for education and training programs than the GOP budget
Provides funding for key environmental protection initiatives
House GOP Budget
NO. Similar to the Bush budget, which slashes Clean Water funds by 22 percent, cuts Safe Drinking Water funds, and underfunds land and water conservation programs.
House Democratic Budget
YES. Provides $2.9 billion more in 2007 and $25 billion more over the next ive years for environmental protection programs than the GOP budget.
