Washington, DC - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) will vote this evening in favor of H.Con.Res. 85, the House Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2010.  Below are his prepared remarks:

“Today’s vote on the budget is a critical one, not only because it finally invests resources in domestic priorities, but because it also takes into consideration the needs of our families. 

“Our economy is suffering, financial markets are in turmoil, and back home in Michigan we are facing an unemployment rate of 12 percent.  My colleagues on the other side of the aisle suggest cutting our spending, while also providing huge tax cuts for their fat cat friends and more subsidies for oil and gas companies.  These are NOT the folks that need government tax breaks and subsidies. 

“If it is not the government who will pump money into our economy, provide tax cuts to our families and make health care and education more affordable, then who will?  We know that our banks are not lending, families are living paycheck to paycheck, and our small businesses and companies are struggling to maintain their payroll.  The status quo is not an option.

“For the first time in eight long years we have a President who proposed a budget that takes into consideration the long-term stability of our country and provides a strong economic plan to guide us out of this recession.  To that end, Congress proposes cutting the deficit by nearly two-thirds by 2013, reducing discretionary spending to its lowest level ever, and including initiatives to cut waste, fraud and abuse, saving taxpayers nearly $50 billion.  And for the first time, Congress and the Administration are including the costs of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the budget, no longer hiding the costs in supplemental legislation.

“Yes, Congress and this Administration is tackling a lot at once, not only because the last Administration left a platter of problems at our feet, but also because we can no longer afford to put off health care reform, or climate change, or quality education.  Our county and our economy need a long-term solution.

“Through this budget we will begin to tackle the rising costs of healthcare by reducing high administrative costs and rooting out inefficiencies.  We will ensure that Medicare physician payments provide clear incentives for better quality care and ensure that primary care physicians are compensated for the hard work that they do.  All of these steps will set the stage for health care reform and provide a down payment for legislation this summer.

“This budget also continues our investment in education by raising the maximum Pell grant award, including additional assistance to help more low-income students complete college.  This is critical to ensuring that our current and future employers continue to have a highly educated workforce.  We need to keep our workforce competitive with our neighbors abroad and I strongly believe that ensuring access to education for all is one way to do that.

“Finally, we will look towards laying the foundation for climate change legislation this summer by ensuring that funding and tax incentives in the stimulus bill receive significant funding – producing new sources of energy and creating green jobs across the country.  Further, it will set aside funding to be used to pay for climate change legislation that the House and Senate are working on as we speak.  This will ensure that the final product that makes it to the President’s desk is paid for, allowing for responsible legislation that will cut greenhouse gas emissions, promote energy independence, and create new jobs in the energy sector.

“I want to commend the leadership of the Obama Administration and Chairman Spratt for all of their hard work to put together this budget proposal.  I know that producing a budget that will address the problems of the last eight years, while also investing in the priorities of our families, was not an easy task.  However, it is high time that the budget helps ALL Americans, not just the wealthy.  Let this budget be a message that Congress has heard our families loud and clear – we want to ensure your families are healthy, your children receive quality education, and your paychecks stretch a bit further than they used to.  This is particularly true for the people of the 15th District – you can rest assured that I am working tirelessly to help you through this tough time.  Together we can, and we will, turn our country’s economy around.”

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