Bart Stupak: “we've now had a look at the Republican's 1997 budget, and I have several major concerns. It appears that many of the…”

“we've now had a look at the Republican's 1997 budget, and I have several major concerns. It appears that many of the cuts proposed last year have reappeared in the new budget. These include cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, cuts in the earned income tax credit, and in education. I am greatly concerned about the impact of these cuts on seniors, on rural health programs, on student loan programs. I also worry about extremist positions on these budget areas which will lead once again to Government shutdowns, disruption of service to Americans, and a tremendous waste of time and money. Mr. Speaker, we have the means to reach agreement on a plan to balance the budget in 7 years. In discussions earlier this year, Republicans and the President agreed on certain cuts, enough to realize $711 billion in savings. At the time of the discussion, only $635 billion in cuts was needed to balance the budget by the year 2002. More recent figures show similar areas of agreement. Let's build on areas where we agree. Let's balance the budget while protecting essential programs for Americans--education, the environment, Medicaid, and Medicare.”