Washington, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the House Budget Resolution, H. Con. Res. 99, which provides a framework for the Fiscal Year 2008 budget.

Rep. Joe Baca (D-Rialto) voted for the budget put forward by Democratic leaders and praised it for meeting the priorities of the American people.

Rep. Baca said, “This budget strengthens our national defense, honors our commitment to veterans and also invests in America’s future by expanding healthcare for children, education and energy independence.”

The Democratic House budget provides the largest increase for veterans’ health care in American history, providing $3.5 billion more than the President’s budget.  Rep. Baca said, “These additional resources are needed to repair VA facilities and speed up disability claims processing so California’s two million veterans receive care worthy of their sacrifice.  We also must make sure that we can meet the physical and mental health care needs of our new veterans – including over 130,000 Californians who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.” 

“This budget also puts children and families first,” said Rep. Baca.  “We help the almost 1.4 million California children who do not have health insurance by increasing funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and we provide substantially more funding for California’s 6.5 million children enrolled in public elementary, middle and high schools, investing almost $8 billion more for education and training than the President’s budget.”

The House budget invests in keeping the American workforce highly skilled and competitive in the 21^st century and helping the economy grow.  “We understand that small businesses -- including over 3.5 million small businesses in California -- drive the economy, employing nearly half of all workers and creating three out of four new jobs in America.  That’s why we reject the President’s proposal to cut the Small Business Administration by 26 percent from last year’s request,” said Rep. Baca.  “Our budget also helps create American jobs by promoting new technologies.  We invest in renewable energy to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, and we restore funding for environmental programs cut by President Bush, for example including $28 million in Clean Water revolving loan funds to improve California’s wastewater treatment.”

A member of the Blue Dog Coalition which advocates for fiscal responsibility, Rep. Baca noted that the Democratic budget resolution includes pay-as-you-go budget discipline and starts to reverse the reckless policies of the past 6 years.  Rep. Baca said, “President Bush has produced deficits and record national debt.  After years of irresponsible spending, Congress is moving in a new direction.  We need to invest wisely in our future and spend responsibly.  Our proposal moves America toward a balanced budget within a few years and does so without raising taxes.  Instead, this budget includes measures to identify and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in government spending and to close tax loopholes.”