Again?

The following is an excerpt from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

The federal budget is a moral document.  It reflects, in dollars and cents, our national priorities.

The annual budget resolution, although not really binding, lays out the plan for spending and taxation.  For the second year in a row, the majority’s budget focuses solely on cutting government programs – ultimately reducing these programs to their lowest level in half a century.  It fails to raise revenue to shrink the deficit, but provides even greater tax cuts for the wealthy.  It passed last week with no Democratic votes and the support of all but 10 Republicans.

At a time when the government should be supporting middle-class families, fostering job creation, and promoting education, research, and innovation that will help grow our economy over the long term, the budget resolution passed by the House fails to meet these goals and moves us in the wrong direction. 

You can learn more about this budget’s deep flaws in a series of brief videosthat I recently shared via YouTube.

I am especially troubled by the budget’s provisions to end the Medicare guarantee, to cut $800 billion out of Medicaid, to slash support for families who depend on nutrition programs and food stamps, and to cut the research that our economy needs to grow.  Even as the Republican budget greatly reduces the programs Americans depend upon, it does nothing to rein in runaway spending on Pentagon projects that do little to protect our national security.

At a time when economic inequality has risen to its highest level in decades, and after more than a decade of stagnant wages for middle-class Americans, we need a budget that strengthens our middle class, not weakens it....

For Israel to Be Secure, Israel Must Have a Lasting Peace

Many New Jerseyans from across the political spectrum visit me to talk about Israel.  Israel’s security and success are priorities for our nation and for me.  What I hear from constituents is a fear for Israel’s future.  Some frame it in terms of the threat from Iran, which is real.  Others focus on what they view as a long-term threat to Israel’s survival:  a stalled peace process.  The U.S. is missing an opportunity to secure Israel’s future if we fail to reengage on the peace process, a point I have made several times to President Obama and administration officials.  For Israel to be secure, Israel must have a lasting peace with her neighbors.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Pallone Statement on Republican Budget Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 March 20, 2012

WASHINGON, D.C.—Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) issued the following statement today in reaction to the release of the Republican budget plan this morning:

“The Republican budget plan released today is just another example of how the GOP is proactively moving to end Medicare as we know it and helping millionaires at the expense of the Middle Class.  The GOP budget seeks to turn Medicare into a voucher system and continues to slash taxes on the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the rest of us.

 “We cannot yield in our commitment to seniors to ensure access to affordable, quality health care and we cannot shift tax burdens to the Middle Class Americans and those who are working to join their ranks.  We need to take a serious approach to addressing our deficit, but we can’t balance our budget on the backs of our seniors. 

Our budget should reflect the fairness that Americans deserve to be treated with, and this Republican budget is anything but fair.” 

Join Congressman Rush Holt For Two Town Hall Forums On Medicare

Congressman Rush Holt will join federal Medicare officials to host two town hall forums in central New Jersey. Please join him to share your thoughts, ideas, and concerns about the future of Medicare.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011
1:00-2:30 p.m.
Monroe Township Public Library
4 Municipal Plaza
Monroe Township, NJ 08831

Wednesday, May 18, 2011
6:00-7:30 p.m.
East Brunswick Senior Center
2 Jean Walling Civic Center Drive
East Brunswick, NJ 08816

"Last month, the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives passed, over my objections, a radical and far-reaching national budget for 2012. The proposed budget would end Medicare as we know it. Under this plan, if you are under 55 years of age, when you retire you would receive a voucher from the federal government and then fend for yourself on the private insurance market. The value of these vouchers is designed to shrink, relative to the cost of health care, each year – so seniors would be required to pay ever-growing out-of-pocket costs in order to maintain the same quality of health care.

Fortunately, the Senate has not voted on the Republican Medicare privatization plan, so there is still time to protect Medicare. I firmly believe that we need a national budget that strengthens our middle class, not weakens it, and I look forward to hearing your ideas at this week’s forum on how we can best achieve that goal. "

- Congressman Rush Holt