Conyers Votes Against Fiscally Reckless Republican Budget Resolution that Rewards the Wealthy

Washington, DC - At 1:03 a.m. early yesterday morning Congressman John Conyers, Jr. voted against the Republican Fiscal Year 2007 budget resolution. He said the following about the fiscally reckless and morally reprehensible budget resolution:

"After pulling the budget from the House floor twice this year," noted Conyers, "the Republicans had to keep members up late into the night in order to quietly pass a fiscally irresponsible budget that rewards the wealthy. I am amazed that since President Bush took office, we have gone from budget surpluses to a projected debt of $4.24 trillion by 2008. This is more debt than the first 41 presidents combined. I am also amazed that only a few hours after the President signed a $70 billion tax cut package for the wealthiest people in America, the Republicans passed a budget slashing domestic programs to pay for that tax cut.

The budget that passed makes bad deficits worse, protects giveaways to the oil industry, fails to invest sufficiently in alternative energy, shortchanges homeland security, and slashes funding for critical domestic programs in health, education, and veterans affairs.

Because of the many shortfalls of the Republican budget, I supported the Democratic and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) amendment budget resolutions. The Democratic budget amendment offered by Congressman John Spratt restored funding to critical domestic programs while bringing the budget into balance by 2012. The Spratt amendment had smaller deficits than the Republican budget, accumulated less debt, and repealed the House rule providing for automatic debt limit increases. The Spratt amendment also backed reinstatement of the effective pay-as-you-go rules that helped turn record deficits to record surpluses in the 1990s. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues did not join the Democrats to pass this better alternative.

Along with many of the provisions in the Democratic amendment, the CBC budget amendment recognized the responsibility of the government to assist in a natural disaster. The CBC budget provided funding for school and college reconstruction and housing in the Gulf Coast, increased community development block grants, and increased funding for the Army Corps of Engineers. Again, my Republican colleagues thwarted our efforts to pass a more compassionate and fiscally responsible budget.

Poor and hard-working Americans will be the ones to suffer because the Republicans have embraced an irresponsible budget that favors the wealthy rather than supporting the Democratic and CBC amendments."

###5-19-2006###