Ed.’s Note: Dr. Judy Chu is an Honorary Board member of the Asian American Action Fund and was endsorsed by the Asian American Action Fund in her successful 2008 election in California’s 32nd Congressional District.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2011
Contact: Austin Vevurka
202.225.5464 (O)
202.510.1825 (C)

Rep. Chu Takes Stand Against Unfair and Harmful House Budget

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-32) today spoke on the House Floor in strong opposition to the GOP’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget proposal.

“The Republican budget is a road to ruin for America’s working families,” said Chu. “Instead of reducing the deficit by ending subsidies to Big Oil and eliminating tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas, the House Leadership has decided to single out seniors, students, children and the middle class for devastating cuts.”

The Republican’s FY2012 budget ends the guarantee of Medicare for seniors, makes deep cuts in education, raises the cost of college for nearly 10 million students, and makes tax cuts for the wealthiest permanent, which adds $1 trillion to the deficit.

“Both sides of the aisle are committed to deficit reduction, but the Republican budget hurts America’s future by failing to create jobs and grow the economy, and unfairly targeting cuts at middle class families and seniors,” said Chu.

The text of Congresswoman Chu’s Floor Speech is below:

Yesterday Congressman Paul Ryan introduced the Republican Party’s Fiscal Year 2012 “Road to Ruin” budget.

We have been back to work in the House for 14 weeks. And for 14 straight weeks the Republican majority has done nothing to create jobs. They haven’t even put a single jobs bill on the House Floor. In fact, their proposed spending bill for 2011 actually costs America 700,000 jobs.

Now, Congressman Ryan and the Republican leadership want to extend their job killing policies and permanently eliminate the middle class.

The Republican’s “Road to Ruin” is nothing short of an attack on working families, seniors, students and children.

It attacks America’s workers by not doing anything to create jobs and by gutting job training.

It attacks America’s seniors by ending Medicare as we know it through bait-and-switch privatization schemes.

It attacks America’s students by cutting education and depriving tomorrow’s workers of the skills they need to compete.

It attacks America’s children by denying them affordable access to a doctor through slashes in Medicaid.

Now, no matter what side of the aisle we are on, we can all agree that deficit reduction is important.

The question is how do we do it? And what we can’t do is balance the budget on the backs of America’s middle class, our seniors, our students and our children.

But I do know some things we can’t afford.

At a time when middle-class families are struggling, we can’t afford to keep spending billions in subsidies for Big Oil and giveaways for special interest.

At a time when our senior population is growing, we can’t afford risky privatization tricks that drive up costs and put health insurance companies back in control of health care.

At a time when our economy needs an infusion of the best and brightest workers, we can’t afford to cut public education while protecting tax breaks for companies who ship jobs overseas.

At a time when some parents are working two jobs so their children can see the doctor, we can’t afford to dismantle Medicaid and then spend billions of dollars in tax breaks on people already making upwards of half-a-million dollars.

A budget isn’t just about dollars and cents – it’s about priorities and values.

And as Representatives of the American people our priorities and values should reflect their priorities and values – jobs, a secure retirement, the promise of educational opportunity and the certainty that if your child is sick, then you will be able to afford to see the pediatrician.

If you vote for this bill, then who among us could go home and look senior citizens in the eye – knowing we ended Medicare as we know it?

Who could look an unemployed worker in the eye – knowing we didn’t do anything to create jobs?

Who could look a student in the eye – knowing we took away their opportunity to succeed with a quality education?

Who could look a child in the eye – knowing that if they get sick, then we are the reason they can’t afford to see a doctor?

I want to reduce our deficit – I know it’s vital to our fiscal future.

But I also want to be able to look my constituents in the eye and tell them that I stood up for their priorities – and not those of Big Oil, international corporations and special interests.

And the truth is, we can do both: we can get our deficit under control – and we can do it without cuts that hurt hard working families.

Austin Vevurka
Press Secretary
Rep. Judy Chu – CA 32
1520 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
202-225-5464

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