Danny Davis: “since Hurricane Katrina and Rita and the budget reconciliation talks began, practically all that we have heard in this…”

“since Hurricane Katrina and Rita and the budget reconciliation talks began, practically all that we have heard in this House about budgets has been cut, cut, cut, and cut. And of course, Mr. Speaker, where I come from back in Chicago, if all that you do is cut, cut and cut, all that you get is blood, blood, and more blood. And, of course, the blood will be on the hands of those who have the knife. Much of the debate in this House during the past 2 months has been around the majority's proposal to cut mandatory programs by $35 to $50 billion over the next 5 years. Just the idea of some of these Draconian measures is enough to send chills up and down one's spine because we are talking about programs that provide basic assistance to vulnerable, low-income families and individuals. In essence and in reality, we are talking about Robin Hood in reverse; that is, take from the poor and give to the rich. We are talking about programs that provide help to people with disabilities, people who make use of the earned income tax credit, people who use Supplemental Security Income programs, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and individuals who are indeed elderly. {time} 1945 Some of the proposed cuts include $11.9 billion to Medicaid, and I can just imagine what this will do to the more than 20 hospitals, health centers, private physician practices in my district. Imagine the large number of children and poor people who will not be able to access adequate health care.…”