Bush’s Budget Proposal More Than a Disappointment (Rep. Paul Hodes)

President Bush’s budget proposal keeps our nation heading down a path of massive deficits, while leaving out a focus on our hard working families and innovative small businesses. It slashes crucial programs like home heating assistance, job training programs, and health care for seniors.

What is so astonishing is that President Bush inherited a budget surplus of $127 billion and has turned it into $9 trillion in debt. Under the President’s budget plan, our country would also continue to spend billions every week in Iraq. Sadly, the President’s budget tries to hide the true costs of the Iraq war from the American public.

The cost of Iraq has more than doubled over the last three years. The average monthly cost of the war was $10.3 billion in 2007, up from $4.4 billion in 2004. Instead of actually accounting for these costs the President’s budget leaves them short in a bridge fund. The American public deserves to know the real financial costs of the war.

I am pleased that the President’s budget increases funding for veterans’ programs by 3.8 percent, an increase to $44.8 billion. Last year, the Congress passed the largest increase in veterans funding in history, and I am glad that the Administration is trying to continue some of that progress in this budget.

However, this budget also increases the cost of our troops’ health care. The Bush plan would raise fees for troops and their families enrolled in Tricare. I oppose these fee increases on our troops, who already proudly bear a heavy burden for our nation.

I am also pushing for increased support for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). These initiatives help low-income families and seniors in my home state of New Hampshire to cope with a cold winter, and also make energy efficiency improvements to their homes, saving an average of $320 per year on energy costs.