Thanks to the excellent work of Chairman Conrad, the Senate rejected the President's budget and passed a Budget Resolution that was much more responsive to the needs of ordinary Americans.
But, as we all know, even though the Budget Resolution Conference Report passed both the House and the Senate in May that is just the first step. It is the annual appropriation bills that actually provide funding to keep the federal government running.
And, unlike the Budget Resolution which cannot be vetoed, the President has the opportunity to veto each and every appropriation bill that crosses his desk.
And, with very few exceptions, that is exactly what the President has threatened to do, unless Congress accepts his overall spending request. In other words, the President has threatened Congress with an ultimatum. He has said: it's my way or the highway.
That is the wrong way to start-off negotiating with Congress on the appropriations process. The President needs someone to advise him to calm down, take a deep breath, and work with Congress on a compromise. I am afraid Mr. Nussle will not do this. He is the wrong man for this position.
Now, let me talk about the President's budget that he is so adamant that Congress adopt. Let's look at his values and his priorities.
The President has proposed in his budget that, despite the growing health care crisis in our country, he would like to cut Medicare and Medicaid by $280 billion over the next decade, lowering the quality of healthcare for approximately 43 million senior citizens and people with disabilities who depend on Medicare and more than 50 million Americans who rely on Medicaid.
The lack of health insurance kills more Americans each year than September 11th and Katrina combined. In fact, the National Academy of Science estimates that 18,000 Americans die each year because they have no health insurance. And, the President's budget proposal would make a bad situation even worse.
Healthcare isn't just a human rights issue, it isn't just a moral issue, it is an economic issue as well. Small businesses cannot survive if they are forced to pay huge increases in healthcare premiums each and every year. Even large businesses like General Motors and Ford are struggling like they have never struggled before to pay for the healthcare of their employees, and have threatened to move all of their U.S. plants to China, Mexico and elsewhere if their workers don't accept huge cutbacks in health and retirement benefits.
Right now, we spend twice as much per person on health care than any other industrialized nation, yet we have a lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality rate than Canada, Japan and most of Europe. In fact, the United States is the only country in the industrialized world that does not have a national health care system.
Even worse, at a time when 8.7 million children have no health insurance, the President has refused to adequately fund the Children's Health Insurance Program in his budget.
Now, here's where the President really needs some good advice. Last month, we all know that the Senate voted by a 68 to 31 margin to expand the S-CHIP program to provide an additional 3 million kids with health insurance at a cost of $35 billion over five years.
18 Republican Senators thought this was a good idea. Though, I believed the Senate should have done much, much more, I also voted for this legislation.
The House passed an even more generous bill to expand S-CHIP with the support of 5 Republicans.
But, instead of working with the Senate and the House, the President issued veto threats on both of those bills because he believes, among other things, that we don't have enough money.
While the President doesn't believe we have enough money to increase health insurance coverage for children, it has been reported that the President will be asking for another $50 billion for the misguided war in Iraq. $50 billion in additional funding for the Iraq War, but we don't have $5 to $10 billion per year to provide health insurance to millions of uninsured children. It's time that the President had a Budget Director who was willing to say, excuse me Mr. President, but that is wrong. It's time to get our priorities straight. I am afraid that Mr. Nussle will not do this. Mr. Nussle is the wrong man, at the wrong time for this position.
But, as we all know, even though the Budget Resolution Conference Report passed both the House and the Senate in May that is just the first step. It is the annual appropriation bills that actually provide funding to keep the federal government running.
And, unlike the Budget Resolution which cannot be vetoed, the President has the opportunity to veto each and every appropriation bill that crosses his desk.
And, with very few exceptions, that is exactly what the President has threatened to do, unless Congress accepts his overall spending request. In other words, the President has threatened Congress with an ultimatum. He has said: it's my way or the highway.
Now, let me talk about the President's budget that he is so adamant that Congress adopt. Let's look at his values and his priorities.
The President has proposed in his budget that, despite the growing health care crisis in our country, he would like to cut Medicare and Medicaid by $280 billion over the next decade, lowering the quality of healthcare for approximately 43 million senior citizens and people with disabilities who depend on Medicare and more than 50 million Americans who rely on Medicaid.
The lack of health insurance kills more Americans each year than September 11th and Katrina combined. In fact, the National Academy of Science estimates that 18,000 Americans die each year because they have no health insurance. And, the President's budget proposal would make a bad situation even worse.
Healthcare isn't just a human rights issue, it isn't just a moral issue, it is an economic issue as well. Small businesses cannot survive if they are forced to pay huge increases in healthcare premiums each and every year. Even large businesses like General Motors and Ford are struggling like they have never struggled before to pay for the healthcare of their employees, and have threatened to move all of their U.S. plants to China, Mexico and elsewhere if their workers don't accept huge cutbacks in health and retirement benefits.
Right now, we spend twice as much per person on health care than any other industrialized nation, yet we have a lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality rate than Canada, Japan and most of Europe. In fact, the United States is the only country in the industrialized world that does not have a national health care system.
Even worse, at a time when 8.7 million children have no health insurance, the President has refused to adequately fund the Children's Health Insurance Program in his budget.
Now, here's where the President really needs some good advice. Last month, we all know that the Senate voted by a 68 to 31 margin to expand the S-CHIP program to provide an additional 3 million kids with health insurance at a cost of $35 billion over five years.
18 Republican Senators thought this was a good idea. Though, I believed the Senate should have done much, much more, I also voted for this legislation.
The House passed an even more generous bill to expand S-CHIP with the support of 5 Republicans.
But, instead of working with the Senate and the House, the President issued veto threats on both of those bills because he believes, among other things, that we don't have enough money.
While the President doesn't believe we have enough money to increase health insurance coverage for children, it has been reported that the President will be asking for another $50 billion for the misguided war in Iraq. $50 billion in additional funding for the Iraq War, but we don't have $5 to $10 billion per year to provide health insurance to millions of uninsured children. It's time that the President had a Budget Director who was willing to say, excuse me Mr. President, but that is wrong. It's time to get our priorities straight. I am afraid that Mr. Nussle will not do this. Mr. Nussle is the wrong man, at the wrong time for this position.
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