Tom Harkin: “this is a unique moment in our history. We are at the dawn of a new century. And the United States is in a period of…”

“this is a unique moment in our history. We are at the dawn of a new century. And the United States is in a period of unprecedented economic prosperity. We have the lowest unemployment rate in decades, the number of families on welfare has declined and new jobs continue to be created at a record pace. However, we know that despite the longest economic boom in history, some Americans have been left behind. As we look to the future, one of our challenges will be to make sure the rising tide lifts all boats. In addition, we also face the challenge of keeping the prosperity going. The pending budget resolution jeopardizes our prosperity. It jeopardizes the economy, threatens the Social Security surplus, and shortchanges Medicare. The resolution does not provide an adequate prescription drug benefit, provide sufficient debt reduction or invest in education. The budget resolution undermines the public's priorities and will impose deep cuts in domestic programs. Fewer children will be served by Head Start, there will be fewer new teachers to reduce class size and no additional officers for community policing. Instead, the budget proposes a risky tax scheme that jeopardizes our nation's future prosperity and productivity. The GOP's budget plan squanders the entire non-Social Security surplus on a reckless tax cut and provides no funding for national priorities such as school modernization.”