Washington, DC – Today Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore), a member of the Budget Committee, responded to the release of President Bush’s fiscal year 2008 budget proposal:
“As a member of the Budget Committee, I intend to make sure that this year’s budget process is more than the meaningless ritual that it’s been for the past six years. Our job is to provide real budget guidance.
 
“Unfortunately, the President has presented us with a budget that falls short of the mark. His projected surpluses are predicated on our extending his tax cuts, fixing the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), and making unrealistic budget cuts that not even his fellow Republicans would support.

“The Budget Committee’s first order of business will be to make sure we give Congress and the public an accurate picture of the budget situation.  We must be clear about priorities and honest about assumptions. History suggests that the administration has consistently under-estimated costs, overestimated savings, and miscalculated the effects of tax cuts.

“We have to face head-on the question of whether we can afford more tax cuts and, if so, what our priorities should be.  Then we must sort out and deal with the needs of the American public: health care, education, meaningful tax relief, and deficit reduction. Unfortunately, this budget falls short in funding some of our most important budget priorities, such as health programs for young children.