Pelosi: Majority’s Budget Does Nothing to Address Concerns of Hard-Working Americans

Pelosi: Majority’s Budget Does Nothing to Address Concerns of Hard-Working Americans

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Contact: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. â€" House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today responding to Speaker Hastert’s misleading statement on the budget:

â€Å"Speaker Hastert and Congressional Republicans are trying to distract the American people from their culture of corruption and cronyism. The real problem with the Majority’s financially irresponsible budget is that it does nothing to address the concerns of hard-working Americans; instead it gives tax breaks to Republican cronies.

â€Å"The Majority has squandered the largest budget surplus in American history and continue to put forth fiscally irresponsible budgets. Their latest proposal would actually increase the deficit by $20 billion dollars, increase tax cuts for their cronies, and cut critical programs used by Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors.

â€Å"The Majority need to get serious about the budget; it is a statement of values as a nation. They refused to join support pay-as-you-go budgeting to share the sacrifices that must be made. It is unacceptable for the Majority to cut taxes for their cronies, paid for on the backs of the middle-class, working Americans.

â€Å"Together, America can do better. Democrats will continue to stand with Katrina and Rita survivors, veterans, students, and working families struggling to pay for gas and home heating oil, medical care, and other basic needs.”