Congresswoman Marcia Fudge on the CBC Alternative Budget

Transcript

Mr Speaker every year since 1981 the Congressional Black Hawkin has produced an alternative budget to both Republican and Democratic budgets the CBC has consistently provided a fair and balanced approach to managing the federal government's finances the CBC alternative budget for fiscal year 2014 is a progrowth pro people pro-america budget it acknowledges that only by investing in Americans and the American people can you build build a bridge to a better America this message could not be more important as our nation still struggles to recover from the worst economic recession since the Great Depression compounding this problem is growing income inequality America needs Congressional leadership to pull us out of our economic malays address our fiscal issues and ensure that our recovery is felt in every Community unfortunately this is where the house Republican budget fails chairman Ryan's budget attempts to lead America towards financial success by placing America's most vulnerable on the path to financial ruin the Republican budget seeks to cut education uh including money for pale grants it slashes economic assistance to programs like the supplemental nutrition program which could mean 8 to n million eligible households without benefits it dismantles the Affordable Care Act this means reducing access access to Affordable Health Care for the 27 million uninsured Americans who are projected to gain coverage under the law this is neither the vision that the American people want nor is it what the American people need now let's contract a CBC budget and how it creates opportunity instead of snatching it away the CBC budget includes $230 billion in the maintenance and repair for public transit highways airports ports railroads Bridges and other infrastructure Investments 13 billion for Workforce Development programs such as Workforce investment act adult program the dislocated workers program job core and other employment and training services it includes 50 billion to provide relief to states to pres preserve teacher and first responder jobs and 50 billion for neighborhood stabilization programs that provide affordable housing development infrastructure improvements and other Community Development needs the CBC budget accomplishes all this while raising 1 trillion in new Revenue to avoid sequestration the economic recession has damaged our communities trillions of dollars in wealth were lost poverty rates for African-Americans and Latinos soared to 26 and 23% respectively America doesn't need an austerity it doesn't need a budget that looks at the struggling American people and says you are on your own Americans need need and deserve more I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the CBC fiscal year 2014 budget thank