Tim Mahoney: “I rise today to enter into this colloquy with Mr. Boyd to express my support for the House budget resolution for fiscal…”

“I rise today to enter into this colloquy with Mr. Boyd to express my support for the House budget resolution for fiscal year 2009. A budget is a reflection of our national priorities. For far too long, the administration's priorities have been misplaced. In fact, the budget submitted by the President earlier this year makes cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and the environment. In addition, it taxes our veterans by requiring them to pay new fees for health care. As a result of this administration's misplaced priorities, the $5.6 trillion projected 10-year surplus that they have inherited has been squandered. As a result, our children and grandchildren are confronted with the challenge of paying back a $9.3 trillion debt. This budget before us today, however, is a good budget for Florida and the Nation. The House budget protects our homeland by rejecting the President's cuts to first responder programs, reinstates funding for the COPS program, and that will put 247 more police on the street in Florida. This budget helps Florida's kids. It provides substantially more money for schools and education than the President's budget. It will allow our schools to hire the highly skilled teachers that over 25,000 Florida children need desperately to help them grow up and compete in the global economy. It rejects the President's irresponsible new fees that he wants to put on the backs of our veterans.”