Max Baucus: “I rise to pledge my continued support for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Fully funding the Federal…”

“I rise to pledge my continued support for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Fully funding the Federal Government's share of special education costs is one of the most important investments we can make in our children and our schools. Funding IDEA to the full 40 percent will lift the burden of rising special education costs off the backs of our schools and enhance their ability to deliver a quality education to all students. I have consistently fought to make full funding of IDEA a reality, and I will continue to build on the progress we have made. But I am forced to vote against this amendment because of another concern, my concern with mounting deficits. The budget resolution brought before us includes tax cuts that total $1.3 trillion. The budget also proposes that $725 billion of these tax cuts be enacted immediately, under the reconciliation process. Two years ago, we passed a $1.3 trillion tax cut. I supported that tax cut. But those were different times. We had a surplus. We did not foresee the significant decline in revenues, or the deficits that followed. This is not the time to reduce revenues by $725 billion. It would hurt our budget and our economy. Why is $725 billion in tax cuts inappropriate at this time? The most crucial problem is that it is not paid for. The budget resolution brought before us forecasts enormous deficits for almost the next decade. Reducing revenues by $725 billion adds to the already mounting deficits.”