Max Baucus: “President Kennedy said that ``to govern is to choose.'' When you put away the charts and graphs, budgets are about…”

“President Kennedy said that ``to govern is to choose.'' When you put away the charts and graphs, budgets are about choices. These choices impact our children's schools, business owners' bottom lines, and families' paychecks. And they affect how we care for our wounded veterans when they return home from fighting for us. The House has chosen to pass the House Budget Committee chairman's budget. Just as it did last year, this budget makes a stark choice. It shows where the House's priorities are. Under the House plan, millionaires would receive an average tax cut of at least $150,000. Meanwhile, seniors would eventually have to pay nearly $6,000 more for their health care. That is a big increase when the average senior has a fixed income of only $25,000 a year. Most Americans would agree that this doesn't pass the smell test. We know we need to reduce our deficit. But asking seniors to pay an additional quarter of their income for their health care while giving millionaires a six-figure tax break just isn't fair. It is certainly not balanced. And it is the wrong choice. The House plan would also end the Medicare Program seniors know today. It would eliminate guaranteed benefits. It would charge seniors more for their prescriptions. It would make them pay for the screenings and doctor visits they get free now. The millions hurt by this plan include former members of our Armed Forces who served for more than 20 years or were injured while on duty.…”