Barbara Boxer: “I am proud to support the amendment offered by the Senator from Michigan to provide funding for important domestic…”

“I am proud to support the amendment offered by the Senator from Michigan to provide funding for important domestic priorities. This amendment is called ``A Month for America.'' Each month, the U.S. is spending roughly $5 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan at a time when important priorities here at home go unmet. This amendment would take $5 billion of the reconstruction money earmarked for Iraq and allocates it in the following way: $1 billion for school construction, $1.8 billion for health programs for our veterans, $103 million for community health centers, and $2.1 billion for highways and public transit. These domestic priorities are an emergency now. Surely we can delay $5 billion in Iraqi reconstruction funds until the fiscal year 2005 when even the World Bank says that only $5.8 billion can be absorbed by Iraq next year to rebuild its infrastructure. I want to talk about the need for new Federal spending to help rebuild and rehabilitate schools in California. These are the current conditions: 87 percent of schools report a need to upgrade or repair building to good overall condition; 71 percent of schools report at least one inadequate building feature, such as the roof, plumbing, electrical systems, windows, or heating and air conditioning; and 87 percent of schools report at least one unsatisfactory environmental factor, such as air quality, ventilation, heating, or lighting. This is an emergency.”